The Grey Assassins
by LupusIgnis
Summary: All throughout history, there have been those who have believed differently than others in the magical world. These people have operated in the shadows while trying to change the world. These men and women find Harry and rescue him when he turns eight. It is time to prepare him to change the world. Grey!Harry!Bashing!Dumbledore!
1. The Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**AN: This is my first FanFic so please don't be too critical, but feedback be it positive or negative is welcome. Also I only have a general idea where I want this story to go so if anyone has a suggestion please PM me. And with one last final note of these AN's being at the end of each chapter, I give you the first chapter.**

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 1:**

A young Harry James Potter sat alone in his cupboard under the stairs while recovering from yet another one of his birthday "presents".

His family, it seemed, hated him for no reason…that is, that he knew of. Since the first time he could understand a word Harry, or Freak to his family, was treated worse than a slave. The only thing that the Dursley's did that would prepare him for the outside world was teaching him how to cook, clean, and garden.

Yet, he was the smartest kid in his class. At the age of eight, his teacher, Ms. William, thought he might be a genius. Of course this made things worse for Harry as he was not supposed to better in any way than "Dudleykins".

So, "this July thirty-first is even 'bigger' for you, Freak," Vernon had said to Harry.

**Flashback (Warning: Scene of intense torture)**

For Harry's eight birthday, Vernon had tried out some new techniques of torture. First he woke Harry up at twelve a.m. just to have the most of this "special" day and proceeded to beat the child senseless.

After Harry had passed out, he woke up to find himself strapped to a wooden chair by cheap, old leather belts in Dudley's toy room, which had a large mat underneath the chair and four air conditioners blowing freezing cold air. Harry soon began wondering what his next form of torture would be until his curiosity was settled when Vernon opened the door behind Harry and dumped three gallons of water onto the already shivering boy. There, Harry was left for what felt like days but was instead only an hour.

Then the Dursley patriarch began to mercilessly beat him; each blow hurt even worse than normal because of the cold. Vernon kept up the beating until Harry _almost_ passed out.

Vernon then brought the bunch of bruises still bound to the chair to the breakfast table where the family, except for Harry, slowly and temptingly ate a huge breakfast of pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, and sausage.

Then, Harry was again brought into Dudley's toy room and covered with water for a half hour before yet another beating to almost consciousness. There, Harry was left alone in the room except for each half hour when Vernon came in to break Harry's body more. During these times, however, Vernon would break a few of Harry's bones. This process repeated itself continuously except for when the family cruelly ate their food in front of the poor boy.

Finally at eleven p.m., the process was broken. The only thing was, after he had been unbound from the chair after yet another half hour of ice, Harry found himself bound to the banister with a rag tied around his mouth. Vernon then took a nine tails whip out behind Harry and gave the battered child fifteen slashes on his back. Harry's screams would have been heard on the west coast of Canada if it weren't for the rag that tasted and was soaked in sewage, which was very apparent to the victim. But, the boy did not cry for his screams were not of defeat but only of pain. Instead of letting himself give in, Harry turned his pain to anger. This fueled a cycle that did not let the demon known as Vernon win against Harry.

After the whipping, Vernon unbound the boy from the banister and dragged Harry by his hair into the living room. The fat man then took out the hot stoker that had rested in the fire since before Harry was last brought out of Dudley's toy room and had to witness the family eat without him. Again, Harry screamed but did not cry.

With that final punishment, Harry was roughly shoved into his cupboard under the stairs.

**End Flashback (Continue reading, if you skipped)**

Now, Harry could not sleep because of the amount of pain that raked his body.

The worst part was that he could not get the thing he wanted second most in the entire universe: sleep. Then again if had a loving family, something he had never known but had always wanted the most, he would not be in this situation. It did not matter to Harry at that moment, though, for the elusive peace of the dark would not overcome him.

In his still developing torture, Harry could not help but wonder about his greatest desire: what a real loving family and friends were like. Sometimes Harry had glimpsed at the television where a family of two parents, a small boy, and a teenage girl had led what Harry thought to be a perfect life, and that inspired Harry to dream.

Suddenly, the sight of the door of the cupboard being opened brought Harry back to reality from his dreams. Harry automatically recoiled and tried to hide farther into his "room" for he thought this was Vernon once again.

But, oddly enough, it wasn't Vernon. Instead, stood a person in a black as night cloak that covered all of the person's body and face except for his or her mouth and chin. The mysterious person then collected Harry's baby blanket and Harry without uttering a single word except for one short sentence.

"You are safe now, Harry."

Finally the person closed the door and disappeared from the evil home with Harry who finally was asleep.

**AN: Remember, rate and review! I would like to thank Change of Faith for his/her help on this chapter. If you read the previous version, you will see that it has improved.**


	2. A Choice

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

_**The Grey Assassins**_

**Chapter 2**

Harry woke up in a bleak bed in a bleak room. The walls, ceiling, floor, and even the bed were all shades of gray. The room was a stone gray and the bed was a darker shade of the same color. Besides the bed, the room was completely void of any objects. If it wasn't for the light gray door, the room could have just been a huge stone box.

Harry then realized something very curious. 'How am I thinking so clearly?' After his birthday, Harry had come to expect…pain. He had expected excruciating pain, but he didn't even feel uncomfortable. After a close inspection of his body, Harry realized, besides his oldest of Dursley scars and of course his lightning bolt scar, he had no scars left on his body. Even then, his Dursley scars were faded considerably.

Harry then began to wonder where and why he was here. Finally, he remembered last night, and Harry started to not care about his location. Anywhere was better than the Dursley's.

Suddenly, the door opened and a person walked through the door dressed exactly like Harry's rescuer.

"Thank you for rescuing me," Harry said to the stranger.

"No thanks is necessary. It should be everyone's obligation to help those in need." The now recognizable as a man said in a cold but not harsh voice.

"Now, eat this and then you and I are going to meet some people and discuss your future." The man said to the boy in a voice that held the same tone as before. His voice had a commanding tone that made Harry want to agree with him.

Then Harry realized what the man had just said…food. As soon as the plate of pancakes covered in butter and syrup was set onto the bed, Harry pounced on the food, grabbing the fork that sat beside the plate and proceeded to eat like he was: a starved boy.

After the he saw Harry was being well nourished, the mysterious man started to leave but was stopped by Harry pausing in devouring the food and asking, "What is your name?"

The man halted and mysteriously said, "I can not tell you now... but depending on how things go I might tell you."

"Okay," Harry said knowing he would probably get nowhere with his question for now.

The man then left and Harry continued eating, only thinking about the sweet taste of a filling stomach and the flavors on his tongue. As soon as Harry swallowed the last gulp of milk completing his breakfast, the man reappeared and said, "Come. It is time to meet the Elders."

Harry then followed the man out the door into a stone gray hallway much like his room except a little lighter. Along the sides of the hallway, suits of armor rested against the walls. Various light gray doors broke the lines of armor. On the walls themselves, metal gray shields, swords, spears, and various other weapons of all kinds from the Dark Ages to advanced weapons that not even a well-experienced weapons expert could identify were ceremoniously set up.

Finally, the duo arrived at a mammoth-size doorway guarded by two suits of armor with two swords strapped to the backs of each. It took one suit of armor saying, "You may proceed," for Harry to realize the suits were not empty, just completely still.

Harry followed his savior through the doors into a huge stone gray room with a raised semicircle platform facing Harry. Looking over the platform were five old people: three men and two women. Each of the five had extravagant gray robes on that, while designed for looks, were easily apparent as functional as well.

The man in the center spoke first in a kind but no-nonsense tone, "Hello, Harry. Welcome to our base. Now, I know you are wondering many things like why you are here and who we are, but you are going to have to be patient."

Harry could only respond with a nod of his head.

"To the question of who we are, we are the Elders of a powerful and secretive organization called…"

But the man was interrupted by the woman to his far right saying, "Have you forgotten how this works? We have never announced who we are so soon!"

"Yes, but I believe that our traditions can be surpassed by the nature of our… situation." The first man replied carefully.

"Very well." The woman responded with a sigh.

"Now as I was saying, we are an organization called the Grey Assassins. I will tell you the reason for Grey in a moment but let me first explain the Assassin part. Everyone who has ever joined our ranks has joined at a young age. The reason for this is so their natural skills can be honed and perfected. This goes the same way for the ones we introduce to them. This natural talent allows our members to be excellent leaders, soldiers, and all other positions needed for war. We do not see ourselves as soldiers because of this much amount of skill and the honour we hold for everything we do and everyone we meet. We see ourselves as warriors bound to a moral code of honor. Currently, we produce justice from the shadows which is why we are Assassins."

"Now before I tell you the reason for Grey, I must inform you of something else," the man continued, "You are a wizard and a damn powerful one, too. Your parents were also strong magical beings but not so much as you. Even though we did try to recruit both of them… I apologize. I am rambling. Let me get back to magic. Some say there are two general forms of it: Light and Dark. Dark Magic is supposed to be evil while Light Magic is supposed to be good. We know this is not so. There is no Dark or Light Magic, only good and evil people. Because we don't believe in the two sides being separate, we use both kinds of spells. That is why we are known as Grey. Do you understand me so far?"

"Yes, sir." Harry finally managed to say after searching for coherent words to form.

The leader continued, "We have always been hidden from public eye. Not even a single government has known or knows of our existence. Unfortunately though, our organization is dying. We need a clean slate, new members, a new style, and we need someone to do so. We believe that person to be you, Harry. You will take control and lead this organization to bring about a new day for the entire planet...after we have finished training you of course."

Harry stood dumbstruck. 'How can they ask me to be their leader? I have just learned about them and now this. I haven't even done anything special. I'm _not _special.' Harry thought.

"I am sorry to bring this all upon you at once, but times for the Grey Assassins have become desperate. Now, what do you say? Will you join us or will you leave and go to a life of a normal child?" the man asked.

Harry thought for a whole minute then came up with his answer.

"Yes."

Harry could actually see relief fill the eyes of everyone inside the room.

"Good. Now I must warn you, there is no turning back. Once you start, you have to finish. In fact, it is already too late to back away. Welcome to the Grey Assassins, Harry. It is time for a new day to rise from the night."

**AN: Hello everyone and I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. Now before I go, I want to announce two things. First of all, thank you to all who are following or responded to my story with an especially big thank you to Deathus for the review. I need to hear that kind of stuff. Thanks again and as always Rate and Review.**


	3. Crossing the Threshold

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**_The Grey_ Assassins**

**Chapter 3**

"Now that you are going to be a member of the order, there are many things that you have set in motion." The leader said. "But let's first make up for improper protocols and make with the introductions. The woman to my far right is Helen. Henry is to my far left; Victor is to my right. The woman to my left, my second-in-command and wife, is Evelyn, and my name is Edward." The now identified Edward said indicating each person as he stated his or her name.

"Sir, may I speak?" Harry said unsure how to address these people who obviously held much power.

"Of course Harry but while I appreciate the respect you are showing me, you do not have to call me sir, mister or the like. Edward will do just fine." The man said in a tone Harry had never consciously heard before, compassionate.

"What? Not wanting to be reminded your old?" Victor asked jokingly.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, old man. You are older than me," Edward countered.

While this was going on, the women sighed and waited. They knew this would take awhile. Finally after a few minutes, Evelyn had enough, "Stop it now, you two. You both are behaving like children!" she scolded.

Each man gave a devilish grin to the other, before they both put a serious face back on.

"Sorry about that, Harry. After knowing somebody so long you start to joke around with each other even at the most inopportune of times. Now, you wanted to say something?" Edward said.

"Yes, uh, when will I start training to be this, uh, leader you want me to be?" Harry asked, still unsure of himself.

"You shall start tomorrow at six o'clock in the morning. You will be led out of the chamber where we perform the ritual. After it is done you will immediately begin your training." Victor said to Harry.

"Be warned, though. Whatever pain you have felt during your life will be incomparable to the pain you will start to feel tomorrow. You are going to feel an entirely new kind of pain: the pain of pushing your body to its limit and then going beyond that. Prepare yourself for the Hell that accompanies the Earth before Heaven, Harry." Edward continued for Victor.

"Now go and get some rest…. You will need it." Edward said with a tone of finality in his voice.

Harry's still unnamed savior led Harry back through the entrance before continuing down the corridor from which they came, silence filling the air as they walked.

As they continued down the halls, Harry became more and more bothered by the overhanging silence. Finally after four more doors, Harry had enough.

"So, can you tell me your name now?" Harry said barely puncturing the silence with his small voice.

"No, I will not break my word." The man said without looking at the boy beside him.

After sparing a glance at a puzzled Harry the man turned his head straight again and continued, "I said I might tell you my name once you became a member. You are not a member yet. Hence, why I said I will not break my word."

The two remained silent after the man spoke up to the point of Harry's room.

"Good-night… sir." Harry said, unclear of how to address the man.

"Good-night, Potter." said the man with a tone of finality in his voice.

With that sentence spoken, the man left Harry alone as the boy entered his room.

Harry closed the door behind him and went straight underneath the covers of the bed, too busy absorbing everything he had been told that night to care about anything else. He was so absorbed that he forgot to undress. He even forgot to take off his shoes. He was not as absorbed as someone might think, for as soon as the blanket moved into the right position, he fell straight to sleep with no dreams, be them good or bad.

He woke up hours later to the slow shaking of himself back into the conscious world, and he found himself faced again with the man from last night once hios eyes opened.

"What time is it?" Harry groaned out.

"Five a.m. exactly. Here, eat this as we walk to the chamber." The man who rescued Harry said as he propped Harry onto his feet, walked him out the door and handed Harry a chicken biscuit.

"I thought I began training at six?" Harry asked as he began to eat his breakfast.

"Yes, you do, but the ritual still takes up some time. To keep up the schedule of training at six, we must meet the others in the chamber immediately after five. Understand?" the man answered.

"Yes, I do." Harry responded.

Once again, an overbearing silence hung over the heads of the two people as they walked down the stone gray halls only this time taking a different route.

Finally, the two arrived at huge dark stone doors with elaborate carvings crossing all over its surface. As they arrived at the two monstrosities, they opened revealing a room dark as the stone of the doors the duo passed. At the opposite end of the room rested another semicircle raised stone platform almost exactly like the one found in the Elder's meeting room except this one was dark stone gray like the rest of the room. The only other feature of the chamber was the marble steps leading up to a massive marble basin filled with a clear liquid.

"Step up to the basin, please." Edward commanded in a booming voice.

Harry slowly walked up the steps to stand behind the basin and waited for more instructions.

"Harry James Potter, you are here today to join the ranks of the Grey Order of your own free will. Correct?" Edward continued in the same booming voice.

"Yes, Edward." Harry said putting a confident tone in his voice.

"Do you, on this day, revoke all old allegiances you may possess, excluding family, and commit yourself to the Grey Assassins with everything you have?" Edward asked.

"Yes, Edward." Harry said. 'Though, I didn't even have any friends or things besides my blanket before this place.' Harry thought.

"Do you swear to defend and never betray another member of this order unless they themselves have committed treachery or it is necessary not to come to your brother's side for the survival of the Order and not just yourself?" Edward continued.

"Yes, Edward." Harry said once more.

"Then, I, Edward, the present leader of the Grey Assassins, give my blessing for you to join us. Are there any opposed my gift?" Edward said and after a couple of seconds of silence he continued, "Then Harry, take this dagger and slice your palm with it, and let your crimson blood flow into the basin while reciting: _Sit meae superioros iuramenta stet verum aeternum. _Do you understand?" Edward finished while a dagger with several runes and inscriptions on it suddenly appeared and floated above the basin.

"Yes, Edward." Harry repeated. Then Harry snatched the dagger out of the air and quickly sliced a thin line across his palm stretching from one side to the other without flinching. With that done, Harry balled his hand into a fist to allow the blood to spill out better and recited the incantation.

Inside the basin, the clear liquid turned red from Harry's blood, but the color didn't last long, for as soon as Harry started to recite the incantation the colors swirled from one color to another each second.

This continued for a minute before all of a sudden the blood stopped flowing from Harry's hand and a bright flash accompanied by a strong force exploded from Harry, forcing everyone in the room back except for the boy standing at the altar.

Once everyone returned to their original locations, they all saw a taller, stronger, healthier, and if anyone was to guess smarter boy replaced by the malnourished, sickly boy who had once stood there.

Harry Potter was a new person.

After a few more minutes of silence, Harry managed to groan out as if coming out of a trance, "Uh, what just happened?"

"I do not know Harry, but I intend to find out. Are you all right?" Edward asked, concern was apparent in his voice.

"Yeah, just… wow!" Harry said energy still lacking from his voice. "I actually feel refreshed, like I feel that I have been unchained or something of the like." Harry said, energy rushing back into his voice and body. Harry's eyes narrowed before he threw away his glasses.

"Good. We will take a sample of your old blood and compare it to your new blood. With some luck hopefully, we will find out what just happened." Helen spoke for the first time in a concerned but intellectual voice. After Helen spoke, Harry looked down into the basin and found the color of the liquid was now gray.

"But first you need a proper greeting. Welcome to the Gray Assassins, Harry." Edward said with the last sentence said in an almost regal manner.

"Thank you, Edward. May I please go start my training?" Harry asked confidence unforced in his voice.

"Are you sure? That was an impressive feat that just occurred here. No one would fault you for wanting to wait an hour." Henry said, saying his first words to Harry.

"I am fine, Henry. In fact I feel better than ever before." Harry rightfully boasted.

"Very well, Harry. Go begin your training. You will meet with us again soon." Edward said.

"Thank you, Council." Harry said with a bow before being led out of the chamber by his savior.

"He has already grown strong, and he just joined the Order. I had my doubts about your choice my friend, but now I see why. He will be powerful." Victor said.

"No worries, old friend. You were right to be unconvinced, but I am glad you now see what I glimpsed at inside that boy. I know he is the one." Edward resplied.

Meanwhile outside the chamber in the halls, the duo walked once more.

"Are you going to tell me your name now, sir?" Harry asked, his old persona already a thing of the past.

"All right. You did uphold your end of the deal." The man said with a smile on his pale face. "My name is…Severus Snape."

"Hello, Mr. Snape. It is a pleasure to finally meet you properly." Harry said with respect apparent in his voice.

"You can call me Severus, Harry. Don't worry about calling me anything else unless we go into public." Severus said with a slight chuckle in his voice.

Finally, the duo arrived at another set of stone doors. These ones were lighter gray.

Once the two entered the room, Harry found himself in a huge chamber colored the same as the doors, but while the room itself was made of stone, high-tech training equipment was set up all across the room. The room was separated into individual training areas depending on what you wanted to do. One area was a push-up and sit-up station. Another area was filled with bars raised into the air on metal posts for the purpose of pull-ups. One of the most impressive features, however, was the huge Olympic size pool that could be used for laps or diving. The one of the other impressive sections held a huge series of metal and wooden ropes crisscrossing above a padded floor.

Outside the door on the other side of the room was a track that measured a mile long. The track looked new but was filled with higher and lower areas to make running more difficult for a runner. One could see heavily forested mountains that stretched all around the massive compound that the track was on the edge of.

"This is going to be fun." Harry said with a grin on his face.

**AN: Hi readers. I hope you enjoyed the third chapter of duh… duh… duhhh… the Grey Assassins. I'm sorry if some of you are disappointed with the content of this chapter, but I thought this whole scene needed to be explained well. I promise things will get more interesting from here on out. Also if some of you guys think my chapters are really lacking length, I apologize, but it is not entirely my fault. I am using Microsoft Word 2000. Yes, you read right, 2000; if anyone needs a reason for chapter length, blame that. As always remember to Review. Thank you and as always: _Occidere prima vel occidi._**

**_Sit iuramentum meum priorem tsand verum aeternum: _"Let my previous oaths stand true forever" (Binds the speakers words to promises they have made in recent hours).**


	4. Change is in the Air

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 4**

Almost two years had passed, and within that time great strides had been made for the Order. As soon as Harry had stepped into the training room, it had become clear that this boy was destined for great things.

On an average day, Harry would wake up at five o'clock sharp, get dressed and head out to meet the day head on. After that, he would maneuver through the corridors with his precise memory until he reached the path that spun through the woods and around the base for a good hour before he went and ate a breakfast of eggs and sausage. Once he ate his meal he would head back to the training room and perform the rest of the exercises for the day. After he was done working out, he would head back into his room, shower then dress for his classes.

His classes consisted of classes in 'light' magics and classes in 'dark' magics. Also among his studies were languages, strategy, history of both magical and muggle worlds, potions, diplomacy, battle, and survival.

History for Harry wasn't that exciting, but he paid attention and did his best in the class. The same could be said for languages, but the class was a lot better for Harry.

Diplomacy was another one of the less stimulating studies of Harry's classes. This one involved politics and negotiations. It was the most boring of them all. Harry understood but hated all the backwards talk involved in political schemes. Harry knew that negotiation was critical to know, but for some reason, it wasn't his strong suit.

All other classes held almost equal love in Harry's eyes.

In survival, Harry would learn about camouflage, medical procedures in the field, what to eat and drink, how to build or find shelter, and navigation at all times of day and night.

In both of his magics classes, Harry learned charms, wards, defence against the Dark Arts, the Dark Arts, transfiguration, occlumency and legilimency, and other various works of magic.

Strategy class had Harry learning strategic movements of all kinds as a leader, both in the field and as a general at a base far from the lines. Also, he studied old battles from books, other pieces of parchment, and videos.

If Harry really had to identify his favorite class, Battle class was it. There the boy learned about commanding troops in various situations, how to use any weapon effectively in combat, hand-to-hand combat, how to infiltrate an area alone or with a group, as well as all other positions needed for a battle, war, sabotage and/or assassination attempt.

Potions was also a great experience for Harry. He had already been a pretty fair cook, but with his newfound abilities he had excelled at every challenge Severus threw at Harry at night when the man sent the boy assignments via a communicator all Grey Assassins held.

These communicators rested upon the wrist of the non-dominant hand of the holder in a gauntlet to allow for speech while fighting. Another gauntlet was on the other arm to confuse a person, although it held all the same functions as its twin. The gauntlets could, with a thought, disappear from the arm. That was another feature of these gauntlets. They worked by thought allowing the laser feature on the gauntlets to work silently.

Today was not a normal day for Harry, however. Today, Harry met with the Elders after dinner in their council room.

"Hello, Harry. How are you tonight?" Edward said, his voice holding more pride than it did two years ago.

"I am fine, Edward. Thank you for asking, and may I ask how you and the Council are doing tonight?" Harry said with a slight grin on his lips.

"You are welcome, Harry, and yes, you may." Edward said with a bigger grin on his face.

"Very well. How are you and the Council doing tonight, Edward?" Harry said now with a smile on his face.

"I cannot speak for the Council, but I am well, Harry. Thank you." Edward said with a smile matching Harry's.

On Harry's third meeting with the Council, Edward had played the same game with Harry except with different results. Instead of the good humor that was just shared, Harry had gotten confused and slightly embarrassed for a moment.

"That is good. Now, what did you five want to see me about?" Harry asked, now completely serious.

"As you know, your eleventh birthday is approaching and with it a huge step. Your Hogwarts letter will be coming before that. You will accept and join the class roster for this coming year." Henry said.

"Council, not to question your orders, but why? Isn't my training here enough?" Harry asked.

"There are two reasons. One: you are going to need members for the newborn order that you can trust even more than the average member. And two: as someone of such importance in the United Kingdom, people are expecting you to show up. To prevent suspicion, you need to attend." Helen responded.

"Okay, so what are my objectives?" Harry asked.

"Your main objectives are to make those who want to manipulate you believe they are doing so without actually gaining anything, gain allies, information and/or contacts that may be useful, and develop your powers even more on your own. By this, I mean you are to stay on your physical training plan, and constantly work on perfecting your magic while never revealing too much to the people of the school." Edward commanded.

"On the weekends, go beyond the limits of the school wards and apparate back here for your weekly status updates and your true classes. On Sunday night, you will apparate back to the school and act as if nothing has happened. Make sure to be discreet, though." Edward continued.

"Yes, Edward. Is there anything else that you need from me?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, Harry. We have a theory about what happened to you two years ago when your powers were unlocked, but to be sure and for you to gain your fortunes you must go to Gringotts." Evelyn said.

"When will I be leaving, Council?" Harry asked.

"You will leave the day after your birthday at one o'clock post meridian with me Harry. This is, as you know, because a child cannot inherit his or her fortune until they are emancipated and his or her parents are deceased. You may also know that if you are eleven and the last member of your bloodline, you can do this. The reason for an escort is to avoid the suspicion caused by an eleven year old traveling alone. After we finalize our business at Gringotts, we will go and get your school supplies. All right?" Victor asked.

"Yes, Victor. I will continue my training until the start of term I expect?" Harry asked.

The Council smiled and responded with a simple, "Yes, Harry. If that is all the questions you have, you are dismissed."

"Thank you, Council. I will take my leave." Harry said before he exited the chamber to go to his room.

When Harry arrived at his room, the boy undressed and quickly went to bed. Mere seconds after Harry's head touched the pillow, Harry fell asleep. This was not due to exhaustion, but because Harry knew of his body's need of rest for the days to come.

Several days later, Harry was summoned back to the Council's chamber. Today was the day after Harry's eleventh birthday, and it was time to find some answers and make another huge stride toward the Order's goal: rebirth.

The past few days had passed uneventfully. As expected, Harry's Hogwarts letter had come. When Harry had finished reading the letter, he had merely put it into his drawer and went to sleep.

Now, though, the day was going to be interesting. Even though Harry had been to Diagon Alley plenty of times for intelligence missions, today Harry would be there as a visitor not a passerby.

When Harry arrived in the chamber, he found Victor waiting for him dressed in black robes that a fairly wealthy wizard would typically wear. Harry was dressed in a smaller version of the outfit.

"Come on, 'son'. We got a lot to do, today." Victor said with a grin.

"Yes, 'father', we sure do." Harry said, accompanied by a grin that matched the Elder's.

With that said, the duo apparated into a small building opposite the pub that led to Diagon Alley. They then walked across the street straight into the back room without saying a single word.

"Remember to keep up the disguise, Harry." Victor said before he pressed the necessary bricks with his hand to open the archway.

Once the portal was open, the duo stepped out onto the streets of Diagon Alley. They then followed the street to the mammoth marble building that had in massive letters **Gringotts Wizarding Bank** inscribed above the entrance.

Harry and Victor stepped up to the goblin teller at the end of the walkway surrounded on both sides by the other tellers.

They then waited respectfully for the goblin to finish his business.

"Thank you for waiting. How may I be of service?" the goblin asked.

"Mr. Potter here would like to discuss his accounts and the possibility of emancipation from his guardian." Victor said.

"Wait here, please." The goblin replied.

"Thank you." Victor responded.

When the goblin left, Victor whispered, "It is always beneficial to be kind and respectful to a fellow businessman, no matter their species." To this, Harry gave a small nod unnoticed by all except for Victor.

After a few more minutes, the goblin returned and said, "If you would follow me please, Director Ragnok would like to personally make your acquaintances."

"Thank you…?" Victor said

"Griphook, sir. My name is Griphook.

"Well, thank you Griphook. Please lead the way." Victor said politely before giving a grin to Harry.

The duo followed Griphook to a set of huge mahogany doors guarded by two fully armed goblins. With a nod from the guards, Griphook knocked on the door and said, "Director, Mr. Potter and his companion are here to see you." When a commanding voice said, "Enter," the trio obeyed and entered the room.

At a massive low-lying desk sat a goblin in exquisite robes that obviously held much value writing something down. Griphook left after Ragnok glanced up and said to the goblin, "You are dismissed." With a nod, Griphook left Harry and Victor who stood still waiting for the Director to finish.

Ragnok a couple minutes later then rolled up the parchment and tied it with a bit of string. After setting the parchment down, Ragnok said with a wave of his hand, "Please, sit."

The duo did so without a word.

"Now, first let me thank you both for the level of respect you have showed me. Almost all other wizards would normally be rude which would result in you being fined an amount of money suitable to the extent of your injustice."

"All species should be treated with respect, especially the ruler of one of the highest of these races. It is unfortunate others do not see the same as us in this regard." Victor said, his voice laced with respect.

"Yes, it is unfortunate. Now, I understand you wish to see the state of your accounts and also wish to be emancipated. Is that correct, Mr. Potter?" the goblin director and king said.

"Yes, your highness. That is correct." Harry replied his voice also holding respect for the goblin in front of him.

"Good, but before we begin with the assessment and emancipation of your accounts, I am going to need a blood sample for a blood test to make sure you are who you say you are, Harry. I will give you the premium blood test for free if you wish." Ragnok said.

"Thank you, your highness. We are very appreciative." Victor said for Harry and himself.

"No thanks are necessary. Now, please use this dagger to cut a line across your palm and let your blood flow into this bowl." Ragnok said.

Harry had a sense of de ja vu as he once more sliced his palm and let his blood flow into the bowl. After a few seconds Harry's hand healed and the blood stopped flowing. With the bowl now full, Ragnok took an expensive looking piece of parchment and soaked it in Harry's blood. As the parchment drained the blood out of the bowl, letters began to swirl together to form words that Harry could not see from his vantage point.

"Oh…My…Gods!" Ragnock exclaimed in disbelief.

**AN: Here's the fourth chapter. I hope you like it. Next chapter should include Harry's familiars and will probably be posted on Friday or Saturday. Thanks for reading and remember to Rate and Review. As always: _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	5. Discoveries

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 5**

"Oh… My… Gods!" Ragnok exclaimed in disbelief.

"What is it?" Harry asked, curiosity filling his voice.

Ragnok merely turned the document around and set it on his desk.

Before Harry could see the paper, though, Victor snatched it up and looked for himself.

"Oh… My… God!" Victor said almost in the same tone Ragnok had just used. His voice reflected a small amount of realization.

Harry looked at the completely shocked Goblin King and the third-in-command of the Grey Assassins with complete disbelief himself. 'How bad could it be that two of the most stoic organisms that have ever existed are speechless?' Harry wondered.

Harry then took the document for himself.

"Oh…My…God!" Harry said in a tone of understanding and realization.

The document before Harry held his inheritances, his magical abilities, and his potential familiars. All of them were shocking in of themselves.

For potential familiars, Harry had a wolf, a dragon, and a King Cobra. Any of these were deadly in of themselves, but together… Harry could barely imagine the power held at his fingertips.

As far as power went, Harry also had powerful ancestral lines. On the document, it stated that Harry was the heir of the most ancient and noble houses of Potter, Peverell, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Harry was the rightful owner of Hogwarts. Harry was Lord Hogwarts.

Harry's natural abilities did not disappoint either. His magical abilities consisted of the elemental powers of fire, water, air/wind, earth, darkness, lightning, and light. He also had the animagus of multiple animals. He could be a wolf, a dragon, and a basilisk.

The most shocking thing, though, was about his magic. Harry had had 90% of his magical core blocked, all of his animagus abilities blocked, and all of his elemental magics blocked. On top of all that, Harry saw that he had had blocks that took away his attention and gave him bad skills that he saw would make him a horrible student. The document informed Harry that these blocks were broken about three years ago in a ritual that was unidentifiable.

After a few minutes, the occupants of the room recovered enough to speak.

"Can you tell me who had set up those blocks, your highness?" Harry asked. He knew it was pointless to ask how it was possible for Harry to have such importance. He had learned not to inquire how and why when it came to such big questions. Those kinds of inquiries are questions for philosophers to debate over many lifetimes.

"Yes, I can Mr. Potter," the Goblin King said before he waved his hand over the paper revealing a name: Albus Percivil Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts.

As all occupants of the room saw the name, each one let out a gasp of shock but nothing more.

"King Ragnok, could you tell us who Harry's legal guardian is? I have a sneaking suspicion of the identity of the man." Victor said with a cold rage in his eyes.

"Yes, of course. Let me assemble the emancipation papers as well while we wait for the guardian papers to arrive." Ragnok said while starting to wave his hand in a broad arc.

"Your highness, we need those emancipation papers to hide Harry's worth from everyone. No one must know that Harry is emancipated and owns Hogwarts. It would ruin many things occurring nowadays." Victor said, completely serious.

"All right. There have been others in your situation before, so there are papers that can accomplish this." Ragnok nodded before finishing the arc.

Moments later, two small stacks of paper arrived. One had 'List of Guardians for Harry James Potter' printed at the top with a series of names following down through the stack of three papers. At the top, the name was there. The label read 'Current: Albus Percivil Wulfric Brian Dumbledore'. A further look through the papers found the name unrepeated anywhere.

"That is odd. Apparently although he is not among the people chosen to be your guardian Mr. Potter, Mr. Dumbledore has become your guardian in the eyes of the law. This is not legal, though. I will have my men research this. We will find the answer to this massive riddle." Ragnok said with passion in his voice when he spoke the last sentence.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it dearly." Harry said with as much passion as Ragnok had just used.

"Now, let us stop this 'guardian' before we found out how he came into his position."

"Thank you, your highness." Victor said with a new respect for the Goblin King.

"You are welcome…?" Ragnok said.

"My name is Victor, King Ragnok." The man said.

"Yes. Well, you are welcome Victor. Anyone who shows such respect and kindness to the goblin race is among friends while in my lands, and any who intend to harm you in turn, harm me as well." Ragnok said.

"King Ragnok, I am one of five leaders of a secret organization that does good in the dark. We plan to arise soon. If you would ally yourself with us, I know all of our members including the Council would be most grateful." Victor said, taking a chance.

"I will discuss it with my advisors. Visit us next month if you could and we will give you our decision." Ragnok said.

"That is all I can ask. Thank you, your highness. Now, could we put the politics aside and proceed forward with Harry's emancipation?" Victor asked as politely as he could without sounding rude or like a beggar.

"Yes, of course. Mr. Potter, all I need for you to do is to sign right here," Ragnok said, pointing to a blank on the top of the paper before continuing, "and put each of these rings on your right hand while reading this paragraph here out loud." Ragnok finished while pointing to the paragraph with the now filled blank and pushing six ingrained boxes forward.

"Yes, Director." Harry said before clearing his throat and beginning.

"I, Harry James Potter, claim my lordship as the head of the most ancient and noble houses of Potter, Peverell, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, all inheritances given to me, and all the privileges and responsibilities of being the heads of these houses. I hereby emancipate myself from my legal guardian without anyone who I wish not knowing. So mote it be." Harry read with authority as he placed each ring on his right hand. He put the Hogwarts rings on his ring finger, the Peverell ring on his index, and the Potter ring on his middle finger.

The Gryffindor ring had a gold band with a ruby ingrained with the Gryffindor crest.

The Slytherin ring had a silver band with an emerald ingrained with the Slytherin crest.

The Ravenclaw ring had a bronze band with a sapphire ingrained with the Ravenclaw crest.

The Hufflepuff ring had a gold band with an onyx gemstone ingrained with the Hufflepuff crest.

The Peverell ring had a platinum band with a black diamond ingrained with the Peverell crest: a triangle inside of a circle with a line going through the symbol.

The Potter ring had a gold band with a ruby ingrained with the Potter crest: two swords crossed with two griffins facing each other on each side of the pair of swords.

With the Potter ring in place, there was a bright flash to signify Harry's place as the head of each of the houses.

When the flash faded, Ragnok spoke. "May I be the first to greet you as Lord Hogwarts Peverell Potter, Harry. You are now emancipated."

"Thank you, King Ragnok, for everything you have done for me." Harry said.

"It is nothing. Now, would you like a report on your accounts?" the goblin asked.

"Yes, that would be great. How long do you think it will take?" Harry asked.

"I can get the status of them right now, Harry." Ragnok said.

"Thank you, Ragnok." Harry said. A relationship had formed between the two out of respect and holding similar ideals.

Victor had to say, he was impressed. Harry had gone from relying on him to speak to now being able to handle things on his own. He truly was adaptable.

Then another small stack of papers appeared on the desk.

Harry then took the papers slowly after a nod from Ragnok.

On each sheet held a family Harry headed.

The Gryffindor sheet read:

_Accounts: 5 and 138_

_Contents: Arms, armors, and texts._

_Money: 100,000,000 galleons._

_Properties: Godric's Hallow (England), Gryffindor Castle (Scotland), and ¼ Hogwarts_

The Slytherin sheet read the same except for Slytherin Castle (Ireland), ½ Knockturn Alley, and Account 162. The same was true for the other two founders. Ravenclaw had Ravenclaw Castle (England), the British Library (AN), and Account 184. Hufflepuff owned Hufflepuff Castle (England) and Account 197. All shared Account 5.

The Peverell sheet read:

_Accounts: 4 and 125_

_Contents: Arms, armors, texts, and Deathly Hallows (All three in Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore's possession)_

_Money: 5,000,000 galleons (Other half taken by Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore)_

_Properties: Peverell Castle (France)_

"Apparently Lord Peverell, Mr. Dumbledore has been stealing from your account." Ragnok said.

"Yes, but why not the founders' vaults? They have far more money than the Peverells." Harry asked.

"Maybe he does not know of your ties to them? But let's explore this later. Let's see the Potter status first." Victor said.

"Yes. Let's." Ragnok said with hostility directed towards the thief known as a headmaster.

The Potter sheet read:

_Accounts: 686 and 687 (Trust- now for future generations and empty)_

_Contents: Arms, armors, and texts_

_Money: 500,000 galleons (99,500,000 galleons taken by Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore)_

"WHAT!" Harry yelled, rage flowing off of him.

"Harry… calm… down!" Victor said in a gentile but forceful voice.

It took a few minutes for Harry to get his anger under control, but he managed it.

"I'm sorry. Let's continue." Harry said calmly.

"Do not worry about it, Harry. I can barely fathom what this must be like for you. Now, let us keep going." Ragnok said.

_Properties: Louis's Wand Crafters (Knockturn Alley), Potter Manor (England), the Ritz Carlton (New York), and homes all over United States of America_

"I guess your parents were into America, Harry, since these properties only appeared twelve years ago." Ragnok said.

"I cannot at the moment give you your parents' will because Dumbledore has sealed it as the Chief Warlock until you are thirteen. However, you still can use all Potter finances and properties, but in the meantime, I will have my men do an audit on all your properties and accounts while building a case against Dumbledore. The theif won't be able to access your vaults now as well. Any money he will try to withdraw will be taken out of an account we reserve for situations like this. Anything taken out will be further proof against him and will be paid back to Gringotts with interest. For now though, here is a credit card that will take money from your accounts starting with the Peverell house." Ragnok said.

"Thank you for all your help, your highness." Harry said taking the card while standing up and bowing with Victor.

"Anytime, Harry, but please, Harry, you don't have to call me anything else but Ragnok unless in public." Ragnok's face held a small smile.

"Okay, Ragnok. I would be very appreciative if you notify me when anything new turns up." Harry responded.

"Of course. Good day to you both." Ragnok replied.

With that, the two people left Ragnok's office and exited the bank.

"Come, son. We still have to get your supplies for school." Victor said back in his disguise.

"Yes, dad." Harry simply replied.

The duo then went and fetched Harry's books and his robes. His robes consisted of a pair of black dress robes for each house he represented, school robes, and regular robes that had no crests on them. They bribed the tailor much money to keep quiet about Harry's purchases. While at the bookstore, Harry purchased all regular books he would need for all of his years at Hogwarts.

With that done, the 'father and son' headed over to Knockturn Alley and Louis's Wand Crafters for Harry's wand.

The two opened the door to find a cozy shop with glass display cases all along the walls of the front room. At the opposite side of the room there was a counter in front of a door leading to, what Harry assumed, the crafting room.

Behind the counter sat an older man. The man was balding but what little hair he had left was snow-white. He was of medium-sized build but looked like he could still pack a punch despite his age.

"Wow, customers! It has been a long time since I have had a customer. I'm sorry where are my manners? Welcome, my name is Louis. What can I do for you two?" Louis said excitedly in an American accent.

"Hello, Louis. My name is Victor, and we have come here to get Lord Potter a wand crafted by your legendary, though commonly unknown hands." Victor said in a proud voice.

"Lord Potter? Oh my god. Harry, is that really you? Last time I saw you, you were only three months old," Louis said before realizing something, "I'm sorry about your parents, Harry. They were great people and even better friends."

"Thank you, Louis. Would you mind crafting a wand for me, though?" Harry said, obviously uncomfortable with the current subject.

"Of course, Harry. I mean it is your shop after all." Louis said with a chuckle and an apologetic smile while indicating the shop with his hands.

"Now, all you have to do is go up to each display and when you feel a pull on your magic tell me, and I'll get it out for you. Start with the woods then move clockwise around the room." Louis said, pointing to the first displays on his left.

Harry moved up to the cases and waved his hand over each wood, choosing two before moving on. He then moved onto the largest section of the process, the cores.

He repeated the movement he did over the wand core cases, and this time chose four objects.

He then went over to the gemstone cases and chose only one object.

When the trio convened at the front, Louis could barely contain his excitement. "Oh. I see the fates wanted to give me a challenge to see if my skills have dulled over time." Louis said, overjoyed at a challenge.

At a curious look from Harry, Louis explained, "Harry, it is extremely uncommon for so many objects to be present in a wand. The objects themselves are rare as well. You chose manzanita, the wood of fire, and yew wood, the wood of death. Both of them are a combination for chaos. The cores you chose were basilisk venom, a wolf fang, thestral tail hairs, and the heartstring of a dragon that is so rare I don't even know its name. I got it off a unnamed merchant on the black market a couple years ago. The gemstone is not so rare, though. The gemstone is a sunstone, the mark of a leader."

"Wow. Even I have never heard of a wand so powerful besides the elder wand of course." Victor said in awe.

"Lord Potter, I will make you two wands with these materials along with two dragon hide holsters free of charge. I insist." Louis said with glee but in an undisputable tone.

"Very well, but I will make sure that you receive business from here on." Harry replied.

You could see Louis's eyes light up even further at the prospect of doing what he loved to do even more.

"Please, come back tomorrow. I will have your wands for you then. Good-bye, my lord." Louis said in a hurry as he gathered the materials and headed for the back room.

"Come, son. We have one last stop before we head home for the day." Victor said after leaving the shop.

"Yes, dad." Harry replied.

After a couple of minutes of walking down the streets, Harry had to ask. "Where _are_ we going, dad?"

Victor just smiled and said, "Wait. It is a surprise."

Just then, though, he stopped… right outside of an animal emporium.

Harry's eyes widened as they stepped through the door. There were pets of all shapes and sizes in the store. Just then, though, he felt two tugs from his magic. One was toward the dangerous mammals and the others toward the reptile enclosure. The tug from the mammals was stronger, so Harry decided to follow it.

As he walked along the rows, Harry felt a strong tug coming from his left. On further inspection, he found it was coming from a black wolf cub that had streaks of red in its fur. When Harry touched the creature, a flash of magic occurred, and the employee in charge of this section of the store knew a familiar bond had just formed.

"Are you going to adopt that cub or are you going to leave it like others do?" the employee asked rudely.

"Yes, I intend to adopt him. Why wouldn't I? He is my familiar." Harry said in curiosity.

"Sometimes, a familiar bond will form, and the human will ignore it, stopping the creature from being adopted." The employee replied.

"That is despicable! I would never do such a thing!" Harry responded with conviction in his voice.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. It's hard for me to see that happen to creatures. I really care about them." The employee said in a passionate, apologetic voice.

"No worries. Now, would you mind getting him ready for me along with whatever he needs, please," Harry said before he explained, "I felt another familiar pull from the reptile house."

"All right. I will bring everything to the front and wait for you." The employee said.

"Thank you." Harry said before him and Victor left the section and went into the reptile house.

As before when Harry approached a king cobra without hesitation, a flash of light occurred signifying the familiar bond. This time, however, an employee did not say anything and tried avoiding eye contact when asked to bring the snake out along with anything it needed.

Harry and Victor came up to the front counter and paid for Harry's familiars and all the necessities the creatures needed. While walking towards the front, though, Harry spotted a snowy owl in the owl section of the store. He felt sorry for the owl since he knew what it was like to be trapped like it was currently.

"Could we buy him?" Harry asked, turning to Victor.

"It is actually a her, and I wouldn't recommend buying her." The owl attendant corrected and advised.

"Why not?" Victor asked curiously.

"She's vicious towards any person who comes towards her." The attendant replied while Harry went up to the cage. "Don't!" Harry had opened the cage.

Harry just looked at the attendant and stuck his hand in the cage. The owl just stood still. Harry then reached out and stroked the wings of the bird with the back of his hand.

"Huh?" The attendant asked, dumbfounded.

"Could you please get everything needed for owning an owl please?" Harry asked after putting the bird back in the cage and closing the door. The attendant nodded and picked up the cage hesitantly before turning and getting the supplies. Harry and Victor went back to the front and bought the bird.

"Let's go now." Victor said before quickly leading Harry out of the store. He didn't want the boy to have a small army just yet.

As they exited the shop with Harry's purchases, Griphook came up to them and asked, "Harry, Victor could you please come with me? We found something you might want to look at."

"Of course, Griphook." Harry said with the cobra around his neck and the cub in his arms. Victor was holding the bird's cage.

The trio then went down the streets until they arrived back at Gringotts. From there, they passed through the tellers and went through the maze of halls, arriving back at the King's door.

After a knock from Griphook was answered with "come in", the trio entered Ragnok's office again, and again Griphook left at a nod from Ragnok.

"Harry, Victor, I am afraid I have more bad news for you. We found that Harry has two betrothal contracts established for him. A Molly Prewitt and Dumbledore made one of these contracts. Thankfully, you can dissolve this contract as Dumbledore was not supposed to be your guardian." Ragnok said. He had Victor's and Harry's full attention.

"The other contract, unfortunately, is unbreakable. It was created by your parents and the parents of your betrothed." Ragnok added.

"Who is the contract with, Ragnok?" Victor asked.

"It is with the Greengrass family, Victor. It is for Harry to be wed to the eldest daughter of their family, a Miss Daphne Greengrass." Ragnok replied.

"All right, thank you, Ragnok. Is there anything else you needed to speak with us about?" Harry asked, brushing off the news for the moment.

"Your welcome, and no, Harry. There is no more business that needs to be attended to currently. As before, I will notify you if anything turns up." Ragnok said.

Harry and Victor got up from their seats, said their good-byes, and left the king to his own business. The two left Gringotts, followed the streets back into the pub, and crossed the muggle street back into the building that led the duo home.

The two appeared back in the Grey Assassin council room before Harry head back to his room to get his familiars and owl situated.

**AN: Here is the fifth chapter of the Grey Assassins. I had more time on my hands than I thought, so I was able to write this. I'm sorry if these latest chapters have felt like fillers but I wanted to establish the plotline. Next chapter or the chapter after this will hopefully become more action-packed. The British Library for all non-British citizens is the UK's national library. As always remember to review. **_**Occidere prima vel occidi.**_


	6. A Long Train Ride

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 6**

It was now the night before Harry was to leave for Hogwarts, enemy territory. It was behind enemy lines because of Dumbledore.

During the time between now and their last meeting, Ragnok had sent Harry a letter confirming that Dumbledore and this Molly Prewitt had been stealing from Harry since his parents' death. Not only that, but the two thieves had set up an account for Molly's youngest son, Ronald Weasley, to be used for storing Harry's money. Why? He didn't know. How Ragnok found out these things? He didn't care.

Harry had also found out from Ragnok that his family had been allied with the Greengrasses for hundreds of years. This alliance had been kept secret from all except the two families and Gringotts. This was because the Greengrass family had always been seen as dark. This was not so far from the truth. The Greengrasses were a gray family just like the Potters. The Potters had kept their gray views a secret as a light family while the Greengrasses did the same with dark magic. A marriage between the two families had never occurred until Harry and Daphne's betrothal.

The day when Harry came back from Diagon Alley, he had named his pet wolf Umbra for his black fur, the king cobra, Zeus, for his mightiness, and the owl, Hedwig, as an ode to his Hogwarts ancestors. Harry was now constantly seen with his familiars, Zeus around Harry's shoulders and Umbra in his arms. Hedwig roamed the grounds of the fortress.

Whenever he had a spare moment, Harry would speak to his familiars. Harry had found he could talk to snakes a couple of weeks after he joined the Grey Assassins. Now, though, he could speak with both his familiars with his mind. Umbra was not very conversational due to him being only two months old. Zeus, on the other hand, was very chatty despite his age, but the cobra was getting calmer each time he spoke.

The day after he came back from Diagon Alley, Harry had went and gotten his wands as well. When he had grasped each one, he had felt a bond form like when he had bonded with his familiars. Except this time there was no bright flash but a gray glow, and there was more power in the bond. Harry could feel the power rush through his body as he had held both of the wands. They felt perfectly molded to Harry. Now, he always had them on his person.

The night before Harry was to leave for Hogwarts, he was called back to the Elders' council room.

"Welcome Harry, how are you and your familiars?" Edward asked.

"Good, Edward. How are you and the council, tonight?" Harry asked, skipping their old joke. He wanted to get his familiars to bed soon.

"We're good, Harry. Now, to business." Edward said.

"You are to seem to be open toward Dumbledore and the Weasley family; there are currently four of the Weasley family's sons enrolled at Hogwarts. There is Percy, a fourth year, Fred and George, third years, and Ronald, a first year. You are to be wary of all of them until they prove themselves otherwise, especially Dumbledore. The headmaster is a master occlumens and legilimens, and I have no doubt that he will not hesitate to use these powers on you. From what your teachers have told us, you would probably win, but you would also blow your cover. Just avoid the old man's eyes, so we won't have to deal with the consequences." Edward said in a voice like that of a general briefing a soldier, which it kind of was.

"What is my back story, Edward? I can't just show up at Hogwarts without reason," Harry asked, "To Dumbledore, I have been missing for three years."

Edward smiled before he answered, "Right, Harry. That is why you are going to tell them that when you were eight, British gangsters stole you away looking for an easy target. They went unnoticed by the Dursleys during the kidnapping. A week later, you escaped and lived on the streets learning some magic and other survival and fighting skills by first-hand experience. That's your story."

"All right, is there anything else I need to know?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Remember to find potential members or at least allies in each of the houses. That reminds me, you are to ask the hat to be put in Gryffindor and for it not to reveal you as Lord Hogwarts. Your parents were both in that house, so people will expect you to be in it as well. Your other objectives are to find the Marauder's Map, a map of Hogwarts your father and his friends created, and to create your own map of the school including secret entrances. This is in case we need to hire mercenaries to back you up if things go really bad. Hopefully it won't come to that, but-" Edward said.

"You always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I know. Is there anything else?" Harry asked with a slight grin on his face.

"Yes. You will be traveling to platform nine and three-quarters on your own, on foot, after apparating to a small building by the train station. Also, I would recommend getting to know Daphne Greengrass in secret, since you are to be married." Edward said with a devious grin.

"All right. Thank you, Edward. I will see you all next Saturday when I return. Good-night." Harry said, ignoring Edward's last comment, before bowing and walking out of the room.

After a couple of turns down the halls, Harry came across possibly his favorite person in the world, Severus Snape.

"Severus! Why didn't you let me know you were going to be here?" Harry asked, sounding more like a kid his own age.

"I didn't think you would be up considering tomorrow and Umbra and Zeus needing to go to bed." Severus said, "Besides, you are going to see me tomorrow."

"But I won't be able to really talk to you how we are now. The Elders want me to go into Gryffindor to not arouse suspicion." Harry replied sadly.

"Don't worry. I will do what people would think I would do to you and give you many detentions. We can spend time together that way." Severus said with a smile when Harry's demeanor brightened.

"Now, off to bed. Tomorrow is a big day." He said with a shooing motion using his hands.

Once Harry was out of sight, Severus proceeded to the council room for his own briefing.

The next morning at five o'clock, Harry woke up at his normal time to get in an extraneous workout.

Harry did all of his exercises twice as hard for longer. This was to keep Harry busy until 8:50 when he was to apparate to the building across from the train station at King's Cross.

At eight o'clock, Harry came back to his room and took a shower. When he came out of the shower and dried off, he dressed in a pair of worn blue jeans and a plain black, long sleeve t-shirt. Harry then made sure his gauntlets held his wands and that he could easily draw them if need be.

With that done, he hid a Derringer-like pistol in the bottom of each of his black, custom dragonhide shoes. He also hid a small blade up each of his school robe sleeves and packed up all of his belongings in his trunk. His weapons were knives, swords, sniper and assault rifles, shotguns, handguns, and throwing knives and stars that were packed in a secret compartment in his trunk.

In the main part of the trunk, he had all of his robes, books, parchments, quills, and ink along with his baby blanket at the bottom of the compartment.

He packed in the side compartment all of his familiars belongings: food, bowls, toys, and beds.

With all of his belongings packed, Harry hid Zeus in his shirt and had Umbra in his arms under an invisibility charm. Zeus was hidden so well that anybody observing Harry would never guess the boy had a king cobra under his shirt. As for Umbra, the baby wolf was starting to be able to walk but not for very far or long. Hedwig would be carried in her cage.

At 8:45, Harry arrived at the transport room in the Grey Assassin fortress. Only one of the paid mercenaries was there when Harry arrived.

After five minutes, the clock on the wall made a low ding, signifying it was time to go.

Harry then nodded to the mercenary and apparated into the small building. He then straightened his clothes, making them clothes look ordinary again, and exited the building heading for King's Cross station with a short stride without attracting attention to himself.

At 8:53, Harry had his ticket and was taking his belongings to the column between platforms nine and ten.

He waited there leaning against the column for five minutes until a man poked his head out and said, "The train is ready for student pick-up. Please, come in," before he disappeared back through the portal.

Harry stood straight up and went through the wall with no hesitation. He knew he would feel nothing. When Harry came out the other side, he found himself on a platform just like all the others except the train was a lot bigger and was bright red and black. Also, there were no people on the platform except for two security officials. He saw an entrance towards the back of the train and pushed his cart towards it. He dragged his trunk up the stairs and went into the second compartment on the left side of the train.

Once there, he put his trunk up into the compartment above his head by standing on the seat. He then sat down and checked on his familiars.

'Are you guys all right?' Harry asked.

'Yessss, Harry, I am fine.' Zeus hissed through the mind link.

'I am fine, too, Harry.' Umbra said in his gruff baby voice over the mind link.

'Good. In a few hours we will arrive at Hogwarts. I would suggest you guys get some rest. Let me know if you are hungry or thirsty. Okay?' Harry asked over the mind link.

'All right, wake us if someone comes in.' Zeus and Umbra both replied over the mind link.

"Okay." Harry said. He then put on his headphones and started to listen to music from his touch pad phone **(AN)**.

After two hours, Harry felt the train jolt to life. They were on their way.

After a few minutes, a redheaded boy with freckles entered the compartment.

"Excuse me. Do you mind? Everywhere else is full." The boy asked.

'So that is how he's going to try to befriend me.' Harry thought. He knew that the compartments around his were completely empty. He had continually been watching the door for passer-bys and knew that no one could come on from the other side.

"Sure. Whatever." Harry replied nonchalantly while rolling shoulders and moving his arms waking Zeus and Umbra up, before he looked out the window.

The redhead looked a little surprised at Harry's attitude but sat down across from him anyway. After a couple seconds of silence, the boy said, "I'm Ron by the way. Ron Weasley." After yet another couple of seconds of silence, Ronald asked, "What's your name?"

Harry looked over at the annoying boy and answered, "Harry Potter. Now will you leave me alone?"

Ronald looked taken aback at this but continued with the conversation he had been told to have because he was too stupid to realize to change tactics or to give up. "So it's true then? I mean do you really have the scar?" Ron asked.

"Which one?" Harry asked with a little bit of malice in his voice.

Ron was either too stupid or didn't notice and said unsurely, "The one on your head, of course. The lightning bolt."

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Harry asked getting very tired of this stupid game already.

"What do you mean? That's the scar that made you famous. How can you not know about it?" Ron asked, completely shocked.

"I was raised on the streets. I didn't even know about the wizarding world really until I got my letter a bit ago." Harry said his voice completely full of malice now.

'If the idiot doesn't shut up, I want you to reveal yourself, Zeus.' Harry ordered over the mind link.

"Really? I mean I thought that you were- what the bloody hell?!" Ron started to say before Zeus slithered down Harry's left arm.

"What? Zeus? He's my familiar from what the store manager said." Harry asked nonchalantly but smiled on the inside.

"Y-you are a d-dark w-wizard. Only d-dark w-wizards have s-snakes!" Ron stuttered while quickly grabbing his things and leaving.

"I guess he had somewhere else to be." Harry said with a devious smile and a light chuckle before he closed the door and sat back down.

'Good work, Zeus. Here's a rat,' Harry praised over the mind link before he got out a dead rat that was in static animation in his case and gave it to the king cobra. 'Now let's bite the bullet and meet my future wife.'

Harry heard what could be described as laughter from his two familiars.

'Oh shut it you two!' Harry scolded over the mind link but then shook his head with a small smile on his face. 'Come on.' Harry said over the mind link as he got up and started going up the train looking for his future wife. He knew what she looked like from a photo he had found online from the British personal records. Records that were off-limits to everyone except a few high up police officers and government officials.

In the car in front of Harry's, he found nobody of interest except for a boy named Neville who Harry talked to for a few minutes. Now, Harry was on the third passenger car from the front.

Harry looked in the one on his left, no one. The one on his right had only a small brown, bushy haired girl reading a book. She didn't even notice Harry. He then checked the rest of the car but didn't find Daphne.

He then went to the next car. He checked the one on his left, just a bunch of girls who yelled at him to get out. The one on his right had a boy with almost white blonde hair and two thick boys. They did the same thing as the girls in the compartment across the aisle. He checked down the walkway further. At the last compartment on the right, Harry had success.

Daphne had honey-blonde hair and icy blue, almost gray colored eyes.

She was sitting there with another girl. The two looked up, and the girl sitting across from Daphne almost yelled for Harry to get out. Daphne, though, gave the other girl a look that halted her in her tracks.

'I guess she knows about the contract.' Harry thought.

"Hello, my name is Harry Potter. Would you mind if I talked with you for a minute, Daphne?" Harry asked.

Daphne looked shocked but nodded her head. Harry then walked in and closed the door behind him.

"I think you know what I want to talk about, Daphne. Do you want your friend here?" Harry asked, crossing his arms and acting casual.

"Yes. I've grown up with Tracey. She is trustworthy." Daphne replied.

Harry gave a nod to the now identified Tracey and was about to say something but couldn't. He did not know what to say. He had already braved many dangers, but after facing one girl, he was speechless.

'How do you say something so awkward?' Harry asked himself.

Finally, Harry gave a heavy sigh and said, "So I guess we're betrothed, huh?"

"Yeah." Daphne said, unsure what to do as well.

"What? How can you two be betrothed? I thought your families hate each other?" Tracey asked, almost shouting.

"Do you want to tell her? She is your friend." Harry asked.

"Yeah," Daphne said to Harry before turning to Tracey, "Our families have never hated each other. In fact, we have been allies since the beginning of our families. This is because of our families' views on magic."

"What do you mean? I thought the Potters were light and the Greengrasses were dark?" Tracey asked.

"It may seem that way, but both of our families are gray in secret, meaning we believe that magic is a mixture of light and dark." Daphne explained.

"But then, why are you two betrothed if everything is supposed to be secret?" Tracey asked, confused.

This question clearly made Daphne uncomfortable, and Harry had to say he wanted to know as well.

Finally, she answered, "Our families wanted to start making bigger strides in changing the world's views on magic, so they made the betrothal contract. That's why it was created. That, and our parents discovered we have a potential soul-bond."

"What? I didn't know about that." Harry asked, shell-shocked.

"Yeah, you didn't know?" Daphne asked, confused.

"I didn't grow up near any of my family for the first eight years of my life after that Halloween except for my aunt, uncle, and cousin, all of whom are muggles. I never have known any of my family." Harry replied.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Daphne said in an apologetic voice.

"No problem. You didn't know. So, how do we make this soul-bond happen?" Harry asked, ignoring the past.

This seemed to make Daphne even more uncomfortable but again she answered, "We, uh, have to, um, kiss each other on the, um, lips."

"Oh, I see. So, do you want to see about it here or…?" Harry asked, uncomfortable as well.

Harry could again hear laughter over the mind link with his familiars. They were losing it.

'You should see the look on your face!' Umbra laughed.

Harry ignored his familiars and waited for Daphne to answer.

"Now, I guess would be good." Daphne said.

"Okay." Harry replied as Daphne stood up and walked over to Harry.

They both then leaned forward and kissed.

A bright flash of white light occurred around the two, but they could not see it for themselves ,for both of them had their eyes closed.

Both Harry and Daphne were in a trance. They both were guiding each other through their memories while feeling a bond form. As each memory passed, the bond got stronger and stronger especially at times of sadness or defeat. This established in seconds what took many couples decades of time together to achieve.

Finally, the memories stopped, and all that was left was to break the kiss. But, neither one wanted the kiss to end. Harry and Daphne felt whole.

After a couple more seconds, Tracey had had enough of the love fest and decided to end it herself. She got up and pushed herself between her best friend and Harry, breaking the two apart.

Both Daphne and Harry didn't seem to notice Tracey, though, for they both gasped out in sync, "Wow!"

A couple seconds, later they both had recovered from the ecstasy enough to talk normally. "Sorry, Tracey. That was just so… Damn, I can't even describe it."

"No problem. Just both of you promise me that you won't do that in front of me again, okay?" Tracey asked.

"We'll do our best." Daphne replied.

Then Harry said something he and Daphne both knew had to happen but both hated, "I guess I should go now. You know, so as not to raise any suspicions."

"Yeah, I guess so." Daphne said as sadly as Harry.

"I'll try to slip a message to you when I can. It was nice meeting you, Tracey." Harry said before he got up and walked out of the compartment heading for his. Both Harry and Daphne didn't need to say anything. They could communicate with each other with their minds.

Harry went back into his compartment and sat down, already feeling half empty without his soul mate. His familiars were quiet as well. While they were not Daphne's familiars, they could now communicate with her like they did with Harry.

After a couple of minutes, the brown, bushy haired girl came into the compartment. "Have any- Oh, sorry. Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost his." The girl asked shocked about Harry being alone in the compartment.

'She's hiding something. I just checked on Neville and he had his toad with him. Plus, this girl wasn't even in the same train car as Neville. She has to be working for Dumbledore.' Harry thought.

"Nope, haven't seen a toad except for when I met Neville a couple of minutes ago." Harry said.

The girl knew she was busted. The best thing to do was to get out of there.

"Oh, okay. Thanks anyways." She said before she left the compartment.

"Finally, some peace and quiet again." Harry said before the intercom buzzed and a voice said, "Thirty minutes to Hogwarts. I would suggest all students who aren't in their school robes dress now."

"Damn it!" Harry yelled, angry at how his moment of peace was interrupted, but he didn't complain anymore and dressed in his school robes. He then made sure his blades and pistols were secure but easily accessible before he sat back down.

Twenty-five minutes later, the train reached its destination and stopped. Harry got up and got his trunk before he exited the compartment and then the train. "First years over here. Please drop your luggage over there before you proceed to the boats!" A big man shouted.

Harry and the rest of the first years did as the huge man instructed and then went over to the boats.

"Four to a boat!" The giant man ordered further.

Harry then found himself with Neville and two girls, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. "Damn, that was a long train ride, huh?" Harry asked with a light chuckle.

**AN: Here's the sixth chapter. I hope you guys like it. I used the movie versions of Ron, Hermione's, and Hagrid's lines if anyone is curious. The thing with the touch pad phone was that the Grey Assassins, while they can't find members, they are very advanced. That's why they have technology that we have today. On another note, I am sorry to all who have found parts of my story confusing. I try to do my best but occasionally my self-check misses something. As always, please feel free to Review. _Occidere prima vel occidi_.**


	7. Behind Enemy Lines

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 7**

"Damn, that was a long train ride, huh?" Harry asked with a light chuckle.

"Yeah. I never thought it was going to end." Neville agreed.

"Who are you?" Hannah asked.

"Harry Potter, Hannah." Harry answered nonchalantly.

"You're Harry Potter?" Hannah asked in shock. On Hannah's right, Susan looked even more so. She was paralyzed.

"Yep. Why is that making everyone so shocked?" Harry asked.

"You don't know?... Well, years ago when we were babies, if we were alive, there was a dark wizard we call You-Know-Who for we can't even utter his name because of the power he held. He was a pureblood supremacist and hated muggles. Him and his followers were unstoppable in their evil deeds. Then ten years ago, You-Know-Who came after you and your parents. On Halloween night, it is said he came into your home and killed both your parents. He was about to kill you, but something happened, nobody knows what, that stopped him from killing you and instead killed him. That scar of yours is the reminder of what you did that night. That is why everyone freaks out around you, Harry." Neville explained kindly without any fear in his voice. "Some say, though, that he isn't dead, just wounded."

"Thanks, Neville. Nobody has really explained much to me." Harry said in a somber voice.

"No problem. What are friends for?" Neville said with a light chuckle when he suddenly realized it. He had called Harry his friend. He hoped that was okay.

"Yeah. What are friends for?" Harry said with a smile. He too had realized him and Neville were natural friends.

Finally, the girls snapped out of their states of shock and Hannah said, "Guys, we are here. Let's get off."

The four eleven year olds then disembarked from their dinghy just like the other first years and followed the big man up to the castle. There, they met an old woman.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." The big man said to the now identified Professor McGonagall.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." The professor said to the now identified Hagrid.

McGonagall led them through a door into what had to be the entrance hall. A staircase faced the first years. On the right many voices could be heard behind a huge doorway. The professor led the students into a chamber off the entrance hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

"So it's true, then. What they are saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." The blonde haired boy from earlier said.

"That's Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Draco said as he stepped up to Harry. "You'll soon find out there are some wizarding families that are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Draco said as he presented a hand forward to make a deal.

Harry stepped up to the boy so close so that no one could hear. "I am not going to publicly ally myself with you. Meet me in this chamber after dinner. Now act angered when I talk next." Harry said then shoved Draco away from him and said with a quiet fury, "Now get out of my sight, before I make good on my threat."

"You'll regret making an enemy out of me, Potter!" Draco said in the same voice while glaring at Harry before he walked away.

"What'd you say to him, Harry?" Neville asked.

"I just threatened to leave me alone or else he would get hurt." Harry said simply.

Before Neville could comment on Harry's answer, Professor McGonagall came back in.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

The old woman led the students out of the chamber and through the set of huge double doors across the hall from which voices could still be heard.

The Great Hall had five tables- two on the right, two on the left, and one in the front. At the front table, there were the other professors if Harry had to guess. The other four tables were longer and held the other students. The whole hall was adorned with thousands of floating candles.

On their way in, the bushy haired girl said to another girl while looking at the ceiling, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History._"

Once all the first ears were gathered at the front of the Great Hall, McGonagall pulled out a stool and an old worn hat and sat them both down in front of the first years.

Suddenly two creases in the hat formed lips and the hat began to sing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffis are true _

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

Hannah stepped forward from behind Harry and went over to the stool, picked up the hat, set it on her head, and sat down onto the stool.

After a few seconds of silence, the Sorting Hat yelled out, "Hufflepuff!"

The table on the first years' right applauded.

"Bones, Susan!" McGonagall shouted.

Susan also went to Hufflepuff.

After several more sortings Harry had figured out where each house rested. Gryffindor was the far left, Ravenclaw the next one over, Hufflepuff to the direct right, and Slytherin to the far right, well away from the Gryffindors.

Daphne, Tracey, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle went to Slytherin. The bushy haired girl now known as Hermione Granger went to Gryffindor as well as Neville.

Finally, McGonagall shouted, "Potter, Harry!"

The whole hall went deathly silent, and Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat, waiting to see his plan advance.

Harry stepped out of line and went in towards the front.

'Somebody needs to cut the tension.' Harry thought.

Harry suddenly stopped and turned to face the students.

"Once there were two best friends, named Fred and DooDah. They were old fishing buddies, and one day headed out to their favorite lake to fish. After getting out on the lake, DooDah hooked a huge fish, which proceeded to pull him overboard, where he drowned a horrible watery death. Fred was brokenhearted, since DooDah was his best friend. But sad as he was, he realized that he would have to tell DooDah's wife the terrible news. He thought long and hard, but just couldn't think of the right words. Finally, he said "Oh! Fuck it!" and knocked on her door. DooDah's wife opened the door and heard Fred start singing: "Guess who drowned in the lake today? DooDah! DooDah!" The Great Hall erupted in laughter, confusion and shock.

All of the muggleborn or wizards who knew the muggle world laughed with Harry while everyone else looked shocked at the language or confused at the laughter.

"Thank you! Thank you! I will be here for ten months!" Harry joked before he did as the other first years had done and placed the sorting hat on his head.

After a second, Harry heard the voice of the Sorting Hat again.

'It seems that there is only one place to put you.' The Sorting Hat said in Harry's mind.

'Yes. Gryffindor.' Harry thought forcefully.

'Yes. Gryffindor.' said the Sorting Hat in a trance.

'Now don't tell this conversation to anyone, got it?' Harry asked forcefully.

'Yes, of course.'

The Sorting Hat then shouted, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table then applauded harder than any other table had before.

Harry removed the Sorting Hat and sat next to Neville at the Gryffindor table.

Ron was sorted into Gryffindor as well and almost sat down beside Harry but Harry gave the boy a death-stopping glare.

The rest of the Sorting Ceremony passed and Dumbledore stood and addressed all of the students, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He then sat back down and food adorned the tables.

All of the students then began eating. Harry ate some chicken wings, corn on the cob, an apple, and two slices of bread, and he had pumpkin juice for his drink. When Harry looked up from his plate when he finished, he realized he was the first one to complete eating his meal.

When everyone else finished their food, the scraps of food faded off their plates and deserts appeared on platters. Harry didn't eat any.

"Are you on a diet or something, Harry?" Neville asked curiously.

"Kind of. I learned that eating healthy actually does help you, so I always try to eat all the food groups and exercise as much as I can." Harry explained truthfully.

"Oh. Okay." Neville said before he went back to eating his chocolate ice cream.

Harry decided to look at the teacher's table. All of the professors were conversing with each other. Harry saw Severus talking to the feeble Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirrell. Then Harry noticed the headmaster was occasionally looking at Harry.

Dumbledore was concerned. Harry wasn't sitting by either Ron or Hermione. Even if the young mister Weasley had failed, Hermione should have become close to the Boy-Who-Lived. He would call Harry to his office to find out some details with legilimency.

Finally, the deserts faded away like the scraps of food did earlier, and Dumbledore stood back up facing a silent hall.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for his or her house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

The whole hall was completely silent at the last bit of news.

"Now head off to bed. Classes will begin tomorrow morning. Remember to come to the Great Hall to receive your class schedules." Dumbledore finished.

All the students then got up and followed the prefects to the common rooms.

Percy Weasley led the Gryffindors to their common room. Harry followed while still talking to Neville.

Finally, they arrived at a portrait of a fat lady. "Password?" the Fat Lady asked.

"Caput Draconis. Remember those words or else you will be locked out of the common room." Percy said to the Fat Lady then the first years before leading the students in.

The common room was adorned with Gryffindor colors and was a cozy, round room filled with armchairs. There were two staircases that led up to the dormitories Harry assumed.

"Boys on the left and girls on the right." Percy said before he left to talk with his friends.

The first years then said good night to each other and walked into their dorm rooms.

The beds were five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. All the students then undressed and went to sleep, all of the first years except for Harry. Harry got out of bed, redressed, and exited the dormitory and then the common room. He then walked down the staircases staying hidden. Finally, he reached the main floor and went into the once again empty chamber.

There he waited for Malfoy at the wall to the left of the door.

After a few minutes, Malfoy and his bodyguards came in.

"So what did you want to discuss, Potter?" Draco asked, straight to the point.

"I want to know if I can trust you. I believe you could be a great ally if you lose your bratty attitude." Harry said.

"Why do you want to ally yourself with me, even in secret?" Draco asked.

"Let's just say I do not believe many of the things you believe, but I do believe to a degree about one of your points." Harry answered. "But first, I need to make sure you will not tell anyone about this. That includes you two, as well." Harry added while indicating Draco's guards.

"Okay. I, Draco Malfoy swear on my magic that I will not tell anyone Harry Potter does not want to know about what we are about to discuss. So mote it be." Draco said. Crabbe and Goyle respectively repeated with their names afterwards.

"Okay. I do not believe in light or dark magic. I use gray magic, a mixture of the two. I believe there are only good and evil people. I think you are a good person, Draco, just spoiled and confused." Harry said.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"You are way too arrogant. I know that comes from your father. I also know he was a Death Eater, and you want to please him. I know that you would take the dark mark to get some pride from your father." Harry explained.

"Why are you spending the time to tell me this?" Draco asked.

"Because I am part of a dying organization that I will recreate. I believe you could be one of the new members. Think about what I said, and meet me here a week from now at the same place and time. Okay?" Harry asked.

"Okay. I will see you next Sunday." Draco said before he left with his bodyguards. A few minutes later, Harry went up to bed, fed his familiars and made sure they were settled in before he fell asleep himself. The next morning, he woke up at six a.m., dressed in his workout clothes, and left the dormitory without his familiars.

He ran around the castle twice while dodging obstacles he headed purposefully towards. When he finished with that, he dropped to the ground and did one hundred push-ups and one hundred sit-ups. He then headed back to his dorm, took a shower, dressed in his school robes, fed Zeus, Hedwig and Umbra, and put them back into the places they were yesterday.

With all that done, Harry put all of his books into his bottomless leather wallet and went down for breakfast. He had already finished his lox and cheese bagel with his hash browns and pumpkin juice when the other students had started to walk in. Professor McGonagall then, came up to Harry and said, "Here is your schedule, Potter. Also, the headmaster wants to see you, so since you are done eating, follow me."

The professor then led Harry down the halls to a Gargoyle and said, "The headmaster is expecting Harry Potter." The statue then moved out of the way revealing a staircase.

With a nod from McGonagall before she walked away, Harry climbed the stairs to be met with a door. As soon as he approached the door, Harry heard "come in" from the other side. Dumbledore obviously had a detection charm on Harry's side of the doorway.

Harry walked into a room adorned with what Harry knew as portraits of previous headmasters of Hogwarts. The desk in front of Harry had many silver toys that Harry did not know the purpose of. Also on the desk was a bowl filled with lemon drops.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked. He noticed that Percy Weasley was beside the headmaster's desk.

"Yes. I wanted to know where you have been your whole life. I have been looking for you for almost ten years." Dumbledore said.

"All right. I don't see any harm in telling you." Harry replied nonchalantly while shrugging his shoulders.

'This is great! I don't even have to use legilimency!' Dumbledore thought.

"For the first year of my life, I was told I lived with my parents before they died. After they died, my brutal uncle, aunt, and cousin raised me. There I was continually beaten until I was eight when some burglars broke in and started to steal possessions. They found me in the cupboard under the stairs, my bedroom. One of the burglars decided to kidnap me. My family was unaware during the whole process. After a couple of weeks, I escaped and have been living on the streets ever since." Harry explained.

"I am so sorry, Harry. I had no idea." Dumbledore sad with regret in his voice but joy in his mind. He could manipulate Harry.

"It's all right, sir. The streets taught me to be tough, strong, independent, and smart."

You could visibly see the twinkle in his eyes get dimmer after Harry said that.

'No! He can't be! I guess I will have to obliviate him of his past.' Dumbledore thought.

"Is that all, sir? I think I should be heading to my classes so I can get a good feel for the path." Harry asked.

"Uh, yes, but first let me do a health check on you. You know, to see if your body is fine." Dumbledore said.

"I am sorry, sir, but I believe that the school nurse should check me over for injuries. It isn't that I don't trust you. I do. It is just that I want a professional to do the check." Harry said, well aware of what Dumbledore wanted to do to.

"All right. I guess you are right. Please head over to Ms. Pomfrey at the Hospital Wing, but before you go, would you like a lemon drop? They are exquisite." Dumbledore asked, setting up a trap.

"No thank you, sir. I just had breakfast, and a bagel doesn't do well with a lemon drop. I will head over to the Hospital Wing right now, though, sir." Harry said dodging another bullet. He had a suspicion that the candy was laced with a loyalty charm or potion.

"Good bye, Harry." Dumbledore said.

Harry then exited the headmaster's office and was guided by Percy to the hospital wing.

"I hope you don't think that because you are famous I am going to treat you any differently. You earn my respect with work ethic and grades." Percy said as they walked.

"I would never. I hate fame. I don't believe in it." Harry said with a passion.

"Good." Percy replied.

Silence followed Percy's last statement. A silent agreement had been made. They would at least be more friendly to each other than they would to a stranger.

During the silence, Harry decided to do something pretty sneaky but necessary. He used legilimency on the Weasley prefect. Harry looked to see if he could trust the older boy. As Harry searched through Percy's memories as the two walked, Harry could find nothing to do with him or Dumbledore's plans.

Harry had learned to go into a mind and be unnoticeable to the person Harry chose to go against. He had been told it would prove especially useful in interrogations and spying.

Finally, Harry pulled out of the prefects mind successfully unnoticed just in time to arrive at the Hospital Wing.

"Well, here it is. Feel free to ask me for help if you are lost and I am nearby." Percy said.

"Okay. Thank you." Harry said.

"You're welcome." Percy said before he walked away.

Harry walked in and was given an examination by the school nurse and was found to be in good health.

"All right, now off to class. You don't want to be late." Madam Pomfrey commanded in a stern voice.

Harry then walked out to officially start his first day at Hogwarts already having an interesting day.

**AN: Here's the seventh chapter. I was able to crank this bad boy out in less than two days. Wahoo! I hope you enjoyed it. The story has been building slowly but I think I'm getting to a good point. The words for the sorting ceremony came from the actual book if you want to check. Also, if anyone thinks I came up with that joke, I didn't. My dad told me it when I was little. Yeah, I grew up around cursing. Not a big deal. They're just words. As always please feel free to review. _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	8. A Dissappearance and an Interrogation

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 8**

Harry had an extremely boring week. All of his classes presented no challenge to him and were even dumber than the council had said they would be.

Astronomy was the overall best class for Harry since he had only learned navigation, not the actual names and locations of stars and constellations.

Transfiguration was the second most academically challenging for Harry but still was a walk in the park for the Grey Assassin. Harry, though, appreciated the no-nonsense attitude of McGonagall.

All of his other classes presented even less of a challenge for Harry. He was already a master at everyday charms and many others. Herbology held no interest for Harry. He was already a trained combat and field medic. History of Magic was a complete joke to Harry. He had already learned about all of the goblin wars discussed in a little better detail. He decided to use that class to study his advanced books so he would be ready for the weekend. Even Potions didn't challenge Harry academically.

Potions was challenging, though. It was difficult to act so disgusted with his savior and best friend. Severus did keep to his word, though, and gave Harry detention for the next Tuesday and Wednesday to 'teach him a lesson.' What Severus didn't say was the lesson would be a new advanced potion for Harry.

Finally, it was Friday night, and it was time to head back to base for his good lessons and his update for the council. After dinner, Harry and all the other Gryffindor first years left the Great Hall to head back to the common room. Once there, Harry talked to Neville and some of the other first years for a few minutes before they all went up to bed.

After he heard everyone sleeping, Harry got out of bed and changed into a pair of black jeans, a plain black short sleeve t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and a pair of black Vans. Harry also secured his weapons in a metal crate, shrunk it down, and put it in his pocket. He then secured Zeus in his shirt and held Umbra in his arms. Umbra could now walk everywhere on his own, but Harry needed to have him right with Harry for sneaking around.

Harry remembered his first day when he had revealed his familiars during Potions.

Harry had just finished the potion assigned for the day, so he was bored and decided to have some fun to change the fact.

'Want to have some fun, guys?' Harry asked over the mind link.

A small chorus of two voices said 'Yes' over the mind link.

Harry then said something over the mind link that had his familiars almost bursting with joy.

Ron had been an annoying prat all week with trying to be his friend any way he could. This including dealings with chess, a game Harry excelled at, and Quidditch, a sport Harry detested but yet loved to fly on a broom. This love had been hid from Ron in both cases with the hate clearly apparent. Earlier that day, Ron had been trying to boast at how good on a broom he was, but he could barely stay on his broom when it came time to be taught by Madam Hooch. This wasn't helped by Harry's wandless magic pushing Ron in every direction. Ron still, though, had tried to bully Neville even though he had done much better than the annoying bigot. Harry had given Neville a pep talk shortly before the other boy had opened his mouth, so Ron's negative remarks fell on deaf ears. Now, though, it was time for revenge.

Harry put Umbra down at his side, and Zeus slithered down Harry's right leg. Umbra then silently stalked up behind Ron and stood still and immovable as a boulder. Zeus, meanwhile had crept up in front of Ron and lay in a coiled up heap. At a nod from Harry, Zeus flared his hood and hissed menacingly. Ron screamed and backed away hurriedly. He tripped over Umbra, and both familiars pounced on the boy. Harry had positioned seconds earlier a potion that Harry knew would spill onto Ron in the chaos. Harry's plan worked and the potion settled all over Ron's face. Suddenly, Ron's hair turned neon green and coiled itself into irremovable dreads. Umbra stood on top of the boy's chest with his teeth bared, and Zeus was behind the boy's head and had his hood flared. Ron looked like he was going to shit a brick.

"Come Umbra, Zeus. It isn't playtime right now." Harry lightly scolded his familiars while barely containing his laughter. What really was hilarious besides the actual prank was that Zeus had hissed "Clowns!" to Ron.

Umbra climbed into Harry's arms and Zeus slithered up onto Harry's shoulders.

The whole room laid in shock. Many of the girls were in love with Umbra but were scared of Zeus. The Slytherins in the room were confused at the sight of a Gryffindor with a pet snake. The Gryffindors actually agreed with the Slytherins for they too were shocked at Harry's king cobra. Ron, though, was petrified because of the previous events. Daphne was shocked at Harry's choice in pets but really wanted to go and get to know them despite the secrecy that needed to be kept between them. She remained where she was, though.

The only person unsurprised at Harry's pets was, of course, Severus, err, Snape.

Then all at once, the girls in the room rushed forward towards Harry and the wolf cub in his arms. Harry blushed at the attention he was getting from all the girls in the room.

The girls then started asking him things like, "What's his name?" "How old is he?" and "How'd you get him?"

"Harry simply answered, "One month old Umbra here is my familiar. I got him at a pet emporium. Zeus is also my familiar."

This got some more coos of affection for the wolf cub.

This continued for a couple more minutes until an "Ahem!" could be heard from behind the girls.

Snape was trying so hard not to burst out laughing. The prank on top of Harry's embarrassment was almost too much, but Snape had to hold it in or risk losing the fearful respect he got from his students.

He sneered, "I am sorry to interrupt but you have potions to brew." Everyone but Harry returned to his or her seats. "As for you, Potter, you will be serving detention with me on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the next two weeks. Also, I take fifty points from Gryffindor." Snape sneered.

"Sir, I didn't do anything wrong. My familiars wanted to play. Ron, unfortunately, had the bad luck to also have been caught in an unfinished copy of the assigned potion we're brewing. I had already finished, and I thought Hogwarts's stock could use some more." Harry explained persuasively.

"Do not tempt me to detract more points from your house, Potter. As a student, you are responsible for your pets and their actions." Snape responded.

"Yes, sir. I apologize for questioning your decision." Harry said smiling on the inside. He had an excuse to spend time with Severus.

That whole week, the first year girls had been seen crowding Harry and his familiars in between classes constantly. Zeus had much disdain for getting less attention, but Harry had been getting annoyed at his inability to study his advanced books or talk to his friends. The curse had a gift, though. Daphne had had an excuse to be by Harry between classes.

Harry snapped out of the memory. He was already getting lax. Remembering like that right before a mission was a sign of a lack of restraint. He would do better. He couldn't afford not to.

Harry then did a recheck to make sure he had not forgotten anything. After he was confident of his lack of forgetfulness, Harry exited the dormitory. He then moved to the top of the stairs and suddenly halted. He heard voices in the common room.

Curious, Harry decided to use his shadow magic. He seemed to mold into the shadows, unnoticeable to anybody who might look there. Harry then traveled from shadow to shadow still unseen. Finally, he arrived at a shadow where the ceiling met the wall. Looking down, Harry could barely believe it. Ron and Hermione were sitting in front of the fireplace using the floo. How could Ron be down there when he was asleep in his bed? Unless… He used polyjuice potion! But where would he get it? Harry decided to move on to his meeting with Severus and notify the Order.

With the questions pushed to the depths of his mind, Harry shadow traveled downstairs into the Great Hall in front of a suit of armor beside Severus.

"What happened?" Severus whispered nonchalantly.

"I'll tell you later. The Council needs to hear it for themselves as well." Harry responded.

"All right." Severus nodded then waved his arm in front of the suit of armor revealing a passageway. "Come on. Let's get back home." Severus smiled.

The two followed the passage, which emerged out in the Forbidden Forest. The two were off school grounds, so they apparated straight into the transport room of the Grey Assassin fortress, safely away from Dumbledore and his spies. At a question of identification from the guard on duty, the two revealed their marks magically tattooed into their left shoulders.

The tattoo was of a blood red angel with solid black arms, torso, and head. Two small white eyes were the only features of the face. On the torso, two arrows protruded from where the heart would be. On the arms, broken chains were still tied to its wrists. The blood red hair looked as if it was blowing in the wind. A white light coming from behind the angel highlighted the wings, torso, arms, chains, and head of the angel.

The guard gave them a nod of acceptance and allowed the Grey Assassins to proceed. Harry and Severus went straight into the Council chamber, knowing they were expected. As usual the five elders were sitting in their spots at the raised platform.

"Welcome Severus, Harry." Edward said with a smile.

"If you would, your report, Harry?" Helen asked.

Harry nodded and began to speak, "I was successfully sorted into Gryffindor and made sure the Sorting Hat would not talk to anyone about my forcefulness and my mental shields. On the train ride, I managed to identify two spies. They are the only ones as of right now, I believe. Ronald Weasley is one, and the other is a Hermione Granger, a muggleborn witch. I believe she can be turned if we can figure out her reason for allying herself with Dumbledore considering Dumble's hate for anything muggle related. I observed the two reporting to someone via the floo in the common room tonight.

"Percy Weasley is not a spy. I searched his mind and only found loyalty to Dumbledore because of his position as an authoritative figure. The other Weasley twins are probably not spies because of their joking, fun-loving attitude, but I cannot be certain. I have not searched their minds yet."

Harry then paused and continued after a nod from Edward, "I have concealed my powers thoroughly but not enough to stop me from being first in many of my classes." This earned a chuckle from the men. "I have become friends with some of the other first years. This includes Neville Longbottom, a pureblood heir raised by his grandmother. I have also found a kindred spirit in Percy Weasley. Both have potential to be great allies despite some of their faults. Neville lacks confidence, and Percy is a strict rule follower."

"Also, there is a possibility of Draco Malfoy, the Malfoy heir, joining the new order. I revealed myself to him after the feast but made him swear to keep my identity a secret. Sunday, I am meeting with him to discuss this possibility further. If I can get Draco on my side, I think I can get many other Slytherins or Slytherin allies on my side. This would add to my growing list of potentials from the first year students. My familiars are also having the Slytherins gain my trust.

"On a final note, I have begun mapping the castle's known areas. Once I finish these areas, I will proceed with mapping the secret passages. The caretaker, Filch, could help with this." Harry finished.

"Good work, Harry. You are to continue with all objectives with no changes depending on Severus's report. You will find out Sunday afternoon before you leave. Before you go, though, I have a question for you." Edward said with a devilish grin barely protruding onto his face.

"Go ahead, Edward." Harry responded interested on what Edward would ask but having a feeling that he would not like what was about to transpire.

"Did you contact Daphne Greengrass and find out anything?" Edward asked with a full-blown grin on his face now.

"Edward! I can't believe you just asked that!" Evelyn scolded while hitting Edward upside the head. Helen did the same to Victor who was chuckling to himself until he was smacked.

"What? I can't ask how the Grey Assassin's future leader's love life is going?" Edward asked. This got another hit, this time on the face.

"It's all right, Evelyn. I don't mind." Harry said barely hiding his own laughter at the lead Elder's situation.

"Okay, Harry." Evelyn replied but still glared at her husband, Edward.

"Couldn't you have said that before?" Edward grumbled, barely heard before Evelyn hit him again.

"I did talk to Daphne on the train and managed to find out the cause of the contract. There was a potential soul bond created between us, and our families, already wanting to publicly ally themselves together, decided to create the contract to allow these reasons to come to fruition." Harry explained.

"Did you two start the soul bond, didn't start it, or did you two find out it could not be forged?" Edward asked with a grin before dodging a fist from his wife.

"We tested the bond and did forge the bond into the basic stages." Harry replied.

At this, the two women looked shocked while the men looked happy for Harry.

"You are dismissed, Harry. Good night." Edward said with a smile.

Harry left the chamber to go to sleep.

"Severus, your report?" Edward asked.

Severus gave his report, and it was decided that Harry would need to be briefed before he left for Hogwarts.

Harry followed his regular schedule that weekend. The only difference from before was that his training was twice as hard and twice as advancing. This included his classes and his workouts.

Harry now had two more objects with him at all times also. Along with his familiars and gauntlets, Harry carried two weapons inspired by a famous muggle movie series.

Harry had learned how to wield lightsabers on Saturday, and he had received his two red bladed energy swords the next day.

He had learned all styles of swords and staffs when he had first began combat training with real weapons. The skills were transferred into his lightsaber skills.

The only differences were the weight and the ability to slice or cut anything with any side of the weapon. These things made fighting even easier, but still presented the risk of making one mistake with the weapons.

It was now Sunday evening and Harry had just finished his early dinner. He left the dining hall and went back to his room to pack up his weapons in the crate, and then he went to meet the council. Time was of the essence since they were on a schedule.

"Thank you for coming, Harry. We have an update for you." Edward said in a quick but unrushed voice.

"I am ready for it, Edward." Harry responded in the same type of voice.

"All right. We have received word that Dumbledore is looking to get you under his thumb, no matter what. Severus has found out that this is because of a prophecy told by the mostly fraudulent Divination teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Trelawny. You are to find out the prophecy from her if you can. This must be discreet." Edward began.

"Also, we want you to start talking to the castle itself. You are Lord Hogwarts, and as him you are able to control the castle and its magic. Use this power to your advantage but again be discreet about it. If Dumbledore finds out of your emancipation, you will be in even greater danger." Edward continued.

"On another note, though, we have been scouring dragon nests looking for eggs that haven't hatched for an abnormal amount of time. There are only ten currently. We are in the process of securing them right now. We have four of them. Next week, you will see if any are your familiar." Edward said.

"Is that it, Edward?" Harry asked.

"The only other thing is that you are to try and figure out why Hermione is acting as a spy for Dumbledore and to try and get Draco to join you tonight. If he does, contact Severus for further instructions. That is all. Good-bye, Harry. Good luck." Edward finished quickly.

"Good bye." Harry said before he ran-walked to the transport room to get back to Hogwarts.

Harry appeared back in the Forbidden Forest. Judging by the position of the sun, Harry saw it was five o'clock. He still had time to head back to the Great Hall for dinner.

Harry ran into the passage not stopping until he was before the exit. Harry poked his head through the imaginary wall and saw no one around. He walked through and went up to the Gryffindor common room to go up to his dorm.

When he came in, nobody noticed him at first. Then Neville glanced up. He looked shocked at first, but contained himself, and walked over to his best friend.

"Where you've been, Harry? McGonagall went crazy when you weren't here yesterday morning. You okay?" Neville asked, concerned for his friend.

"Don't worry about me, Neville. I had set up a meeting earlier this week with the ministry in hopes to have my life sorted out now that I'm a wizard. I mean I can't keep living on the street, can I?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You could have let me know, though." Neville said with a little pain in his voice.

"You're right, Neville. I'm sorry. I'm just used to keeping things to myself. I'll let you in on a lot more, though. I promise you that." Harry replied in a truly apologetic voice.

"All right. You want to go to dinner? You know, beat the crowds, so you have a chance to eat before you are interrogated." Neville asked with a light chuckle.

"Good idea. Let's go." Harry said.

The two went straight to the Great Hall. The whole time they talked about magical plants and creatures.

When Harry and Neville finished dinner, the rest of the school had started to come in to eat. Of course many had started to question Harry, but a look from either Harry or Neville stopped them mid-sentence. What was talked about, though, were classes and what was happening in the magical world. Unfortunately, there was not often a change in the wizarding world except for the occasional improved cleaning spell until quidditch season started.

Towards the end of dinner, McGonagall came up to them and said, "Mr. Potter. Dumbledore and I would like to speak to you immediately."

"All right, professor." Harry replied respectfully to McGonagall before turning to his friends and said, "Remember it is imperative that you remember this."

"What?" Neville asked after a couple of seconds of silence.

"I forgot." Harry said before he gave a chuckle and left his friends. Behind him, Harry heard laughter. "Works every time." Harry whispered to himself with a smirk on his face.

McGonagall led Harry back to the gargoyle that marked the Dumbledore's office. The stone creature moved out of the way after a look that could kill from the transfiguration professor. McGonagall led Harry up the stairs and into the office without even knocking on the door.

"Albus, Harry was at the Gryffindor table talking to his friends during dinner." She said angrily.

"Thank you, Minerva. Now, where have you been this weekend, Harry?" Dumbledore asked in his grandfatherly voice.

"I don't see how it is any of your business, professor, but I was at the ministry sorting out some personal business." Harry replied.

"Why did you not leave a note telling where you were then? And what sort of personal business?" Dumbledore asked, his curiosity piqued.

"To answer the first question, I grew up on the streets. There, you don't leave a note, and you don't even tell your friends where you are going unless you want them to come along to help you out with whatever you're doing." Harry explained.

"All right, but what kind of personal business?" Dumbledore asked.

After Harry had spoken, McGonagall was silent in shock.

"Like I said, I grew up on the streets. I think it's time I got off them now that I have a reason to not be a criminal in the muggle world." Harry said nonchalantly.

"You are a criminal?" Dumbledore asked in shock.

"I was a criminal. Not big time, though. I was never a real member of a gang, only traveling from one to the next to get what I needed. I was a freelancer in that regard. I only stole what I needed like food, water, money or clothes. Even then, the stuff I stole wasn't worth much." Harry explained.

"So what did you need to talk to the ministry for?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"I talked to them about getting a place to live and to get a job. Like I said, I'm going straight." Harry said.

Dumbledore relaxed at this. He didn't know that he would never need to work a day in his life.

"All right, Harry. You can go back to your house. Next time, though, come see Professor McGonagall or me before you leave. Minerva, could you escort Harry back there? It is almost curfew." Dumbledore said.

"Thank you, headmaster. Before I go, though, I think you should know I might be gone for many more weekends. The ministry works slow." Harry explained.

"Of course. Now, good night." Dumbledore replied with understanding.

Student and teacher left the headmaster's office and went up to the Gryffindor common room.

"I am glad you are going to live a legal life. Good night, Potter." The professor said in a gentle voice.

"Good night, professor." Harry replied before he entered the empty common room and went up to bed.

There he got his stuff for tomorrow ready and then went back down into the common room. After that, he shadow traveled back into the empty chamber he had entered a week ago.

Nobody was there, yet, so Harry waited like before.

A little over five minutes later the door opened, and Draco came into the room.

"I'm glad to see you came. Did you think about what I said last week?" Harry said with little preamble.

"Yes. I normally would have had my father destroy you with his connections for the way you spoke to me, but you gave me a wake up call." Draco said.

"Good. What do you think about my offer?" Harry asked, ignoring the rude part of Draco's comment. He knew that even if the Malfoy head had sent anyone, they would never be seen again.

"I think I would like to join. It seems like this organization is powerful and I think it would be beneficial for me to get behind it." Draco replied.

"That is good, but you should know that once you are a member, your loyalties lie first with the order. No matter what." Harry said with a warning.

"I understand. What do I have to do to get in?" Draco asked respectfully.

"I talked to the head council, and they have agreed on letting you join. Now, though, we must speak with someone not on the council, another spy here at Hogwarts." Harry said mysteriously.

"Who?" Draco asked.

"Follow me." Harry replied, avoiding the question.

The two eleven year olds walked out of the chamber, and Harry led Draco down into the dungeons. He walked through the maze with no hesitation before he finally stopped outside the potions classroom.

"He's in there. I'll talk to you tomorrow in one of our classes. Good night, Draco." Harry said before he walked back to bed.

Draco opened the door and was surprised to find Professor Snape sitting at his desk.

"Welcome, Draco. Have a seat. We have much to discuss." Severus said, barely containing a grin.

**AN: I'm sorry for the delay, but I had less time on my hands. A quick shout out to a couple people, though, for their ideas in my story. First, serialkeller, thanks for your idea with Hermione. We'll see if she does turn. Then, thank you, magitech, for your idea about a Quidditch hating Harry, and him appearing to hate chess. Great idea. Also, I cleared up the reason for Draco's reaction for you. To clarify to all, though, this will not be a Star wars crossover, and I do not own lightsabers. They belong to Disney. I can't believe that, though. I mean, Disney owning Star Wars! How did that happen?! Sorry. I had to ramble. That is all the credits so far. I hope I didn't leave anyone out, but if I did PM me and I'll get right on it. I also hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, please feel free to review. _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	9. Presents and Allies

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Spell"_

'_Thought'_

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 9**

The next day, Harry woke up refreshed. He required little if any sleep for over two days.

Harry got out of bed and proceeded with his normal school day routine.

He woke up at six and dressed in a black short sleeve Under Armour shirt, a pair of black Under Armour exercise pants, and a pair of Asics shoes. He then went out to run through the various courtyards, bridges, and paths outside of the castle. He also did various exercises using his surroundings and various rocks. These exercises were very effective.

When he finished that, he went up to his dorm, showered, dressed, and collected his books and his familiars. He then went down to the Great Hall to eat and feed his familiars. Umbra and Zeus now ate meats that an average wizard or witch would eat.

He would then talk to his friends until the first warning bell rang and left for their classes.

The day was extraneous for Harry. He could not wait to talk to Draco, Hogwarts, or use his lightsabers. What made it worse was that Harry could not talk to Daphne at all. It was a torture that Harry thought could be used on war criminals effectively.

Finally, though, Potions came around.

As Harry came in, he got a glare from Ron and an unnoticed wink from Draco. Everything was good.

Everybody moved to his or her previously assigned station.

"Before you begin brewing the potion on the board, I am assigning each of you a new partner for the week. We will see how they work out." Snape said. Groans could be heard all around the room.

"Now, none of that. I expect you to do well on this potion unless you wish to ruin your grade." Snape continued, already pressuring his students.

Snape then read out a name and his or her partner's name. Harry was assigned with Draco, and Neville was assigned with Daphne, who had already become known as the ice queen.

Harry could see Severus giving him one of his barely legible grins. Harry was so going to get him back… to remain unsuspected, of course.

Before Neville started to move, Harry whispered to him, "Don't worry. You are pretty good at potions. Just focus on the recipe and the ingredients."

Neville nodded and stood a little taller as he walked over to Daphne. Harry and Neville had a very helpful friendship. Neville was getting more confident, and Harry had a sense of normalcy when around the Longbottom heir.

Harry then walked up to Draco and started reviewing the recipe. As they both began brewing the potion, Draco whispered, "I will be joining you Friday night as well as the next two weeks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday," to Harry.

"How are you going to manage getting detention with Severus?" Harry whispered after a few moments.

Draco looked surprised for a second at the use of Snape's first name but whispered, "I will screw up in another class bad enough to get detention. Snape won't let another professor have a Slytherin for detention. The teachers know that he would do more damage than any other professor would."

"Let me know if you need help. I am a master prankster." Harry whispered.

Draco just gave an unnoticeable grin to all but Harry.

The rest of the class passed in silence.

"We will resume the potion tomorrow. Clean up your stations and then you can leave. Malfoy, Potter, I would like to speak with both of you privately." Snape particularly sneered Potter.

Draco and Harry went up to Snape's desk and waited for the rest of the class to leave. Once everyone had exited the classroom, Severus closed the door with a wave of his wand.

"Now that we're alone, I have some things to tell you two. Harry, Draco will be accompanying you in your detentions and on Friday nights. You also will be helping train Draco in our ways and all other aspects of our organization. As well as this Harry, you will soon begin learning about the responsibilities of the council since you will be its leader in time." Severus said to Harry.

"All right, Severus. Any word from the Elders that I need to be briefed into?" Harry asked.

"Only that here at Hogwarts you are to be partnered with Draco as he is your first follower for the new order. This will of course be kept quiet from all not in your new order or the old one."

"Will you not be part of the new order, Severus?" Harry asked after a moment of thought.

"I will be an adviser to the new order but not a true member. The same is for all the others in the old order. This change has happened twice before, and we have gotten efficient at it. This time, however, will be the last time." Severus answered.

"All right. Am I dismissed?" Harry asked.

"Not yet. I would like to have you here for Draco's briefing as well as future ones," Severus said before turning to Draco, "Draco, as you heard you will be Harry's partner for now while you are undercover here. This might change depending on the recruitment for the new Grey Assassins. While you may be his partner, however, you are under him as far as rank goes. He has been a part of the organization for longer, all right?"

"Okay. Anything else?" Draco asked already getting a hang of the militaristic style of these meetings.

"Both of you must remember to achieve your missions. Harry, contact Hogwarts castle, create a map of the whole castle and its grounds, interrogate Professor Trelawny, and scout out for new members. Draco, you have all the same objectives as Harry except for his first objective. You also have another objective. Try and see if either of your parents or any of their friends are potential allies. Do you both understand?" Severus asked.

"Yes." Harry and Draco said simultaneously.

"You're dismissed." Severus finished.

The two young spies left the older spy's classroom. Harry stopped Draco outside the door, though.

"You need to know two things now. One, there is no going back now. You have to take up the ritual or you will be silenced. This could mean death or a full memory erase." Harry said.

"I understand. I made my decision, and I'll stick to it." Draco said with a respectful confidence.

"Good. The second thing is more personal. You should know Daphne Greengrass and I are soul bonded. And no, it hasn't been consummated." Harry added as he saw Draco's lips starting to form a word.

Draco looked mildly shocked but said, "Okay. Do you want me to notify her of my alliances and arrange for her not to be bothered by anyone in our house, though she doesn't need it?"

Harry smiled and said, "We are going to get along great, Draco."

It was then that it was Draco's turn to smile and say, "Yes. We are."

"I want you to map out the dungeons for me. Suspicion won't be aroused if you're down here."

"Okay. I'll talk to you Wednesday night in detention. I think I'll be fine getting it. I have a plan." Draco said before he started to walk away.

"See you then." Harry replied before he walked away as well, except in the other direction.

The next day there was nothing of interest. It was a normal day for Harry.

Wednesday, though, held surprises for the school.

Harry had not talked to Draco since their meeting, and Harry was excited. Even though he was not pulling off the prank, Harry loved the idea of a shocked teacher. The question was, who was it going to be?

Harry's question was answered at lunch. He was not clear on the details because of the way the rumor mill worked, but it involved Professor Flitwick and a particularly nasty stink bomb. The only other fact was that Draco had taken credit and had been given detention for this and next week's Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Everyone knew he would serve it with Snape because Draco was a Slytherin.

Hogwarts had received another surprise as well.

During the morning post that morning, Harry received a large rectangular package with a letter attached. The Gryffindors who observed it saw no name on the letter. They only saw a short note on the card: "Here's a gift from the guys. Thanks again for that favor two months ago. Don't ask how we got the owl."

Few were not confused at the note, and only one person at Hogwarts knew the true purpose of the package.

Harry opened the package with a fake knowing smile on his face.

'What are the Elders up to, and why do I have the feeling I am about to meet the headmaster once again?' Harry thought.

The wrapping revealed a metal case with a handle and two latches. 'Yep. I'm in the shits.'

Harry opened the case and smiled with glee to keep up the act. Normally, he would have loved the gift but under different circumstances.

The lining of the case was a soft, bumpy material.

In the case was a M82A1 semi-automatic sniper rifle with three magazines. Also included was a box filled with .50 caliber BMG ammunition. The case was too long for the gun to accommodate the box that fitted perfectly into the roughly cut hole.

The reactions from the students and teachers were mixed. The purebloods were absolutely clueless. The muggleborn were surprised or shocked. The half bloods were mixed between the two.

Dumbledore looked outraged, however. How dare someone possess a weapon in his school, especially one from the muggle world!

"Mr. Potter, in my office now! And take that gun with you!" Dumbledore demanded, the whole grandfatherly persona gone.

Dumbledore then got up and took Harry with him to his office.

This whole scene, however, was a distraction. That was the purpose of the case: diversion.

Shortly after Harry's gun had arrived, Draco had received a package as well. Everyone was too focused on Harry to notice.

Draco read the letter first. It read: "Quickly open this package and put on these gifts while everyone is distracted. After you put them on think of them not being on your wrists. Contact one of the others for further instructions."

After Draco finished reading the letter, it incinerated itself silently. Draco then opened the box underneath the packaging paper.

Inside, there was a pair of black metal gauntlets. He put them on and found a rush of electricity flow through him. With that done, he imagined the gauntlets not there, and to his surprise found them not there anymore.

When he looked up, he didn't see the box or the paper it came hidden in. He did see, though, Harry being escorted out of the Great Hall.

When Harry and Dumbledore arrived at Dumbledore's office, he sat down and looked, for lack of better words, extremely pissed off.

"What is the meaning of this?" The headmaster almost shouted.

"Sir, I did not bring the weapon to the school. I also didn't ask for them to send it to me. I'm going clean just like I said. I am completely focused on my studies," Harry said calmly, "If you don't believe me, look at the note."

Dumbledore then took up the letter and read it for himself. Once he was finished, he was calmer.

"Harry it is illegal to own a weapon in this school. Are you aware of that?" Dumbledore asked in his grandfatherly voice.

"No, I am not. I checked the rules before I started the semester, sir, and I found no mention about weapons in the school. I guess this is because you could classify the wands students and teachers carry as weapons. The swords on display with the suits of armor could also be defined as weapons, headmaster. So I don't believe this rule has changed." Harry explained.

Dumbledore looked defeated at this. He knew there was no such rule but did not want Harry to possess an advantage. It would ruin his plans.

"Harry, could you send it back?" Dumbledore asked.

"There is no name on it, sir. Do not worry, though. I will not use it on anybody or anything if at all unless it essential for saving my life. I give you my word." Harry promised with confidence in his voice. "I said I was going clean, and I am going to stick to my word."

Dumbledore was going through an emotional roller coaster. He was now relaxed.

"All right, but when you leave for at the end of either this or next semester, depending on when you leave the castle sooner, please sell this thing." Dumbledore said.

"Of course. Is there anything else, sir?" Harry asked.

"Yes, now that I have you here, we need to discuss your morning adventures." The headmaster said.

"Adventures?... Oh! You mean my exercises. What about them?" Harry asked.

"You are posing a great danger to your health doing these exercises. You could easily hurt yourself." Dumbledore said, trying to cut another advantage from Harry.

"Sir, I have been doing exercises like those for much of my life. I know my limits, and I know how hard to push them. I will not stop doing them on the grounds because if I did I would have no place to keep myself healthy and fit. I am sorry but I will not stop doing this until that problem is solved." Harry argued.

Yet again, Dumbledore found himself against a wall. He had no choice. "All right, Harry, I will not bring it up again."

"Thank you, sir. Is that everything?" Harry asked, letting some annoyance leak into his voice.

"Yes, you may head to your classes, but please put this up first." Dumbledore said indicating the M82A1.

"Of course. Good bye, sir." Harry said before he walked away.

"That boy is going to be the end of me." Dumbledore sighed in a weary voice.

Besides the prank later that day, everything was normal again for the school.

After dinner, Harry left the Great Hall to head to Severus's classroom for detention. He noted Draco starting to get up as well. Harry waited by the entrance to the dungeons.

Finally, Draco came up and they both proceeded down into the dungeons.

"Nervous?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Draco responded.

"Don't be. You are going to be pushed, but you will come to enjoy it. It is part of what makes us part of the order." Harry said.

Draco just nodded.

Finally, the partners arrived at the Potions classroom door. They went in after Severus said, "Enter."

What they found surprised them. The stations had been removed. In their places were two desks that could be easily removed. Severus's desk was still in its place, though.

"Welcome. Now let's get to business," Severus said, "I am afraid we don't have much time but for now we are going to teach you about the basics. You will train physically with Harry in the mornings."

"Severus, I don't think that is a wise idea. Dumbledore tried to talk me out of my morning routine after he got done trying to have me get rid of the M82A1. Thanks for that by the way." Harry particularly pronounced the Dumb in Dumbledore and added sarcasm to his last sentence.

"Don't worry about that. We can use the cloaking feature on the gauntlets. Also, you're welcome." Severus said with a smile.

Harry ignored the last comment and replied, "That would work."

Finally Draco managed to speak. "Huh?"

"You will see. You want to start with the gauntlets because he is already curious?" Harry asked.

"Sure."

Harry and Severus then taught Draco about all of the functions and how to use them. "Just think about the feature you want to use." Harry said. "First think about the gauntlets reappearing." Draco did so.

They then taught him the functions. "There is an invisibility function- not just for the gauntlets but for you too. That function can also be turned to disguise you as someone else. You just have to scan the person first. The gauntlets are primarily a communication device. A holographic screen will appear. The screen can also be used for filing reports, using the Internet, and scanning computer files. There are sharp points that will appear on the outside of each gauntlet (AN: think of _Batman Begins_ and those gloves). My personal favorite, however, is the laser function." Harry said with a smile at the end.

"Laser function?" Draco asked.

"A barrel will appear out of the gauntlet. Think about a blast of almost any size and it will appear and strike where pointed." Harry explained still with a smile.

After some practice, Harry and Severus were satisfied with Draco's knowledge enough to move on.

They then taught Draco a brief history of the magical and muggle worlds.

"The muggle world has been constantly advancing in its technologies. They have had many great leaps and have always tried to improve everything they do. The magical world, however, has tried to stick to tradition. There are improvements but not in great strides like the muggle world has done. Because of this, the Grey Assassins use many more technologies from the muggle world. This even includes their movies' technologies." Severus said. Harry was taking a break against the wall.

"Movies?" Draco asked.

"They are like paintings except they do not use magic and do not interact with the watchers. Most of these movies are fictional and are used for entertainment. Perhaps we will show you one soon. In the mean time I think Harry should show you an example from a famous series of movies, _Star Wars_. Harry?" Severus asked. Harry smiled and got off the wall. Draco noted two metal cylinders hanging from his belt.

Harry walked up and brought both cylinders into his hands. He then touched a button on each, and two blades of red energy appeared to Draco's surprise.

"Harry, if you would please show what a pair of lightsabers can do." Severus said with a wave towards a metal crate that had appeared in the middle of the room. Harry walked over, and with a slow motion sliced the top off easily with his right lightsaber.

"Wow. When do I get those?" Draco asked in a soft voice.

"In a couple years. You'll have to first learn about all the other types of swords and all the stances." Severus said with a smile.

Severus then transported the crate away. Harry went back to the wall, and Severus went to his desk and sat down.

"You two are dismissed for the night. Draco, make sure you accompany Harry to the Gryffindor Tower. You need to scan Seamus Finnigan." Severus said.

"Yes, Severus." They both replied at once, clearly signifying a potentially great partnership.

They left Severus's classroom, and Harry led Draco up to Gryffindor Tower.

They entered after Harry gave the password to a very groggy Fat Lady. She was so groggy that she didn't notice Draco behind Harry.

"Follow me." Harry said before leading Draco up into his dormitory.

There asleep was Seamus, Harry's friend.

"Let's get this done quickly." Harry said. Draco nodded and activated the required function.

"All right. Let's get you out of here. When you get outside, stick to the shadows. Then get some rest. Tomorrow, I need you at the entrance to the Great Hall at 5:15 a.m." Harry said in a commanding but gentle voice as he walked Draco out of the dorm room and crossed the common room.

"Okay. See you then." Draco said before he left through the doorway/painting.

Harry then went up to bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, he awoke and proceeded with his usual schedule but waited outside for 'Seamus'. He arrived at the exact time he specified.

"Let's get to it," Harry said, "We're going to first run around the entire castle while dodging obstacles."

"What! Isn't it a little early?" 'Seamus' asked.

"Trust me, in a war or war exercise this'll be considered sleeping in." Harry said seriously.

In Draco's opinion, that morning was hell. Harry had said he had gone easy on him, but he still hurt all over.

They had done half the difficulty of Harry's normal exercise routine.

He then did what Harry did every morning and showered, dressed regularly, and went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Later that day in potions, there was another surprise for Hogwarts.

Snape closed the door to his classroom. Oddly, he heard chuckles as he went back to his desk and sat down. "Brew the potion on the board." He sneered to his first year Gryffindor and Slytherin class.

As the class went on, he heard more and more chuckles until the whole class was laughing outright.

"What is the meaning of this?" Snape scolded loudly and stood up. The laughter halted.

Silence reigned over the classroom.

"Well?" He asked impatiently.

Finally, Harry got up the courage to tell his savior. "Professor, your clothes are all gone except your underpants and your shirt. If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose to wear Powerpuff Girls boxers?"

The whole class busted out laughing again.

'That asshole!' Severus thought.

He then ran into his office.

'Mess with the bull you get the horns. Even you, Severus.' Harry thought with a smirk on his face.

The rest of the day was uneventful until detention.

As expected, Severus upped Harry's training as a demonstration of 'how intense a battle with magic and other technology can be'. Harry and Severus used wands, had their laser guns on stun, and used safe training lightsabers. Severus attacked with everything he had. Harry, however, showed how good he was becoming and managed to defend himself effectively… barely.

There was a silent agreement between the three of them. The Grey Assassin spies at Hogwarts were in a war of their own… a prank war.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope you like the new image for the story. It is the self-edited cover from the Offspring's _Rise and Fall. Rage and Grace _album. I do not own the rights to the album, the Offspring, or the image. I just edited it. It is what I imagined the Grey Assassin symbol to be. Please leave a review with your thoughts on this and any other chapter of my story. I hope to keep all of you enthralled with this and future chapters. Also, I hope I didn't offend anyone with my joke in Chapter 7. It is was not meant to harm anyone or his or her beliefs. If that happened, I apologize. One more thing, though, before I sign off. I would really appreciate if all of you who like my story to spread word of it. Again, I hope to not let any of you down. _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	10. Soul Bonds: A Huge Pain

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Spell"_

'_Thought'_

**_The Grey Assassins:_**

**Chapter 10**

Harry paused for a moment.

What was he going to do about Daphne? It had almost been two weeks since he had been able to really talk to her, and Harry was going insane. He had to think of something.

Then something exploded by Harry, and he was almost hit by a swinging piece of metal.

"What are you doing Harry?" Draco shouted while coming up to Harry who was crouching behind a boulder. "We need to stay focused on winning!"

"It's not about winning!" Harry shouted back. "It's about reaching the objective without little if any losses!"

"All right!" Draco responded.

Harry then made a few motions with his hands, instructions for Draco. He was still the student.

Draco nodded, and then Harry sprang up and used the rapid-fire function of his gauntlets to provide Draco cover. Draco took out and popped a smoke grenade to their left and waited for it to fill up the area. Draco then ran to the right surprising the hired mercenaries they were facing. Draco ran into the trees and snaked around the forest clearing clockwise, so he was to the left of the smoke. The whole time Harry was giving cover fire. Draco then went and hid by a boulder to the right of the mercenaries and set up cover fire of his own. Between the two duos of stun blasts, the mercenaries felt trapped. They were discussing their plan of attack when they were struck down in one swoop of a training blade.

"How'd you do that?" The lead mercenary asked when he was released from his paralysis and saw Harry.

Harry then explained. When Draco had gotten into the cover of the trees, Harry had set his and Draco's laser machineguns to keep firing no matter what. This was courtesy of good positioning and two pieces of string to hold the triggers. Harry had then ran through the smoke cover and went counterclockwise around the clearing. This set him up behind the mercenaries' position. From there, he had just run up and used the training saber to quickly dispatch the five of them.

The mercenaries gave the two some applause before they went back to their guest rooms. Then, Severus came up to the two partners.

"Good execution, you two. Harry that was a great plan, but you cannot get distracted on the battlefield. I thought that you had already learned that." Severus said. "You know the rules. What distracted you?"

Harry grumbled something about "stupid, goddamn rules" before he told the other two what happened.

"I don't know why she keeps appearing in my mind, but I just can't stop thinking about her. And this keeps happening to me at random points, Severus. What should I do?" Harry asked in a voice he hadn't used sincerely in a long time. He used a pleading voice.

Harry half expected either or both Severus and Draco to laugh at this, but he was surprised. Draco looked apologetic and Severus looking concerned for Harry.

"I understand, Harry. The council was hoping to not have to do this so soon, but I see no other solution. For your safety and sanity, we must include Daphne in the Grey Assassins A.S.A.P. We then must have you two marry. You two might already be soul bonded but it has not been consummated or nurtured yet. Your dreams will keep persisting until you go insane or you spend at least six hours a day with her. I will go explain to the Council the situation right now. You two go get dressed. We will be visiting the Greengrass estate. Meet me in the Council's chamber when you are ready to leave."

Harry and Draco followed Severus out of the situation room as it returned to a blank landscape with a door. The partners then turned left towards their rooms while Severus turned right towards the Council's chamber. The two new best friends entered their side-by-side rooms, showered, dressed, and left their rooms simultaneously. Grey Assassins, all throughout their history, had carried a quick ditch pack filled with their primary copy of their supplies. Harry and Draco then hurried over to the Council's chamber. They did not even pause to even look at the guards; however, they did tense up in case of them being attacked by the guards for their rush. Thankfully, the guards did not move from their spots as the partners walked-ran into the chamber.

Harry and Draco were met with Severus arguing with the Elders. 'Uh-oh!' Harry and Draco thought.

"Ah! Harry, Draco, get ready to apparate outside of the Greengrass protection wards. We will walk from there." Severus said.

"No, they will not, Severus. I forbid it." Edward commanded.

Severus deflated at this and said, "I'm sorry, council, for my distrust in your judgment."

"It is alright, Severus. Now that we have played the prank on them you guys may go." Edward said seriously.

"What? That was just a joke?" Harry shouted. "Not funny!"

The whole chamber was filled with laughter at the offended looks from Harry and his partner.

"Gotcha!" Severus said.

Harry and Draco nodded to each other, and Severus's clothes disappeared and replaced with the Powerpuff Girls boxers once again. This earned more laughter from the Elder's and anger from Severus. The laughter then halted when each Elder received a full blast of one of the most awful smells on Earth up their noses. The smell was a mix of week old, unrefridgerated fish, dirty, old gym socks, and skunk stink.

Harry and Draco apparated outside the Greengrass words before the many hexes and curses could reach them. Behind them, they left the chamber filled with the awful smell. Harry and Draco then walked into the through the wardline and proceeded to the front door of the mansion.

The mansion was a beautiful white with various brown balconies. The door and trim of the house was pure black.

Harry then knocked on the door and waited for it to open. The duo did not have to wait long; for not even thirty seconds later, the door opened revealing a house-elf. The elf's uniform looked expensive and held the Greengrass crest on it.

"May Susan help you two sirs?" the elf asked.

"Yes, Susan. May we speak to Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, please?" Harry asked.

"Who wants to meet with them?" Susan asked.

"Tell them Daphne's betrothed and his best friend, please Susan." Harry said with respect.

"I will speak with the masters." Susan replied before she closed the door and left.

"So we're best friends now, huh?" Draco asked.

"I think so. Just don't expect any sleepovers… at least any time soon." Harry joked at the end of his last sentence. Draco chuckled.

The door then reopened and Susan led the two partners into what they thought was the living room. They were met with Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass. Lord Greengrass had sapphire eyes much like Daphne's and short, brown hair. Lady Greengrass, however, clearly held the gene for Daphne's hair but had emerald eyes.

"Harry is that really you?" Mr. Greengrass asked in wonder as he stood up.

"Yes, Lord Greengrass, it is." Harry said respectfully.

"Oh, please none of that. You may call me Anton. After all, our families have been friends for so long. You heard about the contract then?" Anton asked with joy. Behind him, his wife also looked very happy.

"Yes, I did. I also know about the soul bond, Anton. I talked to Daphne on the train." Harry said, happiness seeping into his voice as well. He might have been treated very well by the Order, but they had lacked the ability to give Harry that feeling of familial love. This excluded Severus of course.

"And?" Lady Greengrass asked anticipating the answer.

"We tested the bond and started it. Unfortunately, we have not been able to spend much time together. That is why we are here." Harry said.

The Greengrass parents looked pleased at the first piece of news and then seemed to notice Draco for the first time.

"Draco Malfoy? Why would you help Harry?" Anton asked.

"We will explain exactly why later, but Draco is my best friend." Harry said.

"Okay, so what do you need from us?" Lady Greengrass asked.

"I need for you to arrange for Daphne and I to be arranged in a marriage suite so we can spend more time together and possibly get Daphne transferred into Gryffindor, Lady Greengrass. I will pay for everything, but I cannot do it myself. You will have to talk to the headmaster for this. He has been acting illegally as my guardian. He sealed my parents wills and sent me to my aunt and uncle's where I lived until I was nine." Harry said. He noted they flinched when he mentioned his aunt and uncle. They must have met them.

"First of all, call me Iris. Then, of course we will. Whatever we can do to help you two bond. I am uncertain, though, if we can change her house. I do not know if it's allowed." She said.

"It is not against the rules, but to change it you two must talk to Dumbledore and act as if you only know of the bond. I am trying to keep my emancipation a secret for now. I can handle the story of how it happened."

"All right, but you will not pay us for this. We will be happy to oblige." Anton said. "But what are you two doing out of school?" A knock at the door sounded right after Anton asked his question.

"Sir, ma'am, there is a Severus Snape at the door wishing to speak with you and our guests." Susan said as she came into the room.

Draco and Harry gave each other a look, and they said, "Let him in." as they tensed up. Severus might want revenge.

Severus walked in behind Susan. As soon as he saw Harry and Draco, he gave them each a glare but didn't say anything.

"Lord and Lady Greengrass, I am with Harry and Draco. We all belong to the organization that has been protecting Harry for two years. Recently, we inducted Draco as well. If you two would follow us to our organization's base, we can explain more." Severus said.

The couple gave each other a look, and Anton said, "All right, Mister Snape. How long will we be staying?"

"Not long. It will probably be an hour at most. Then, though, you will be accompanying Harry and Draco to Hogwarts to have your meeting with Dumbledore."

"Okay. Let's go then." Iris said.

"Let's get out of the wards. We wouldn't want anything to happen." Anton said.

With that said, the five left the living room and then the house. They then proceeded outside of the wards, and Harry took Anton's hand and apparated to the transport room of the Grey Assassin fortress. Severus held onto Iris's hand as well as Draco's. Draco could not be traced since the ritual yesterday but was not used to apparation.

They appeared in the required room. The five then walked out after Harry, Severus, and Draco showed identification to the guard. Severus led the way. They took the path through the maze that led them straight to the Council's chamber. They entered the chamber after receiving a nod from the two guards stationed there.

"Ah. Back again to humiliate us, young members?" Edward asked with a little bit of humor in his voice. "I have to say, that was some first class pranking."

"Thank you, Edward." Draco and Harry said.

"Now, onto business. Lord and Lady Greengrass, it is a pleasure to meet with you two. I am Edward, to my left is my wife, Evelyn, and to her left is Henry. To my right are Victor and Helen respectfully. I know that Victor looks like a woman, but he is not." Edward said. Everybody could notice Edward flinch a moment later. Evelyn sure didn't like his most inopportune timing with jokes.

"Yes, now I bet you are wondering what this organization is and what we do. We are the latest Head Council for the second era of our organization, the Grey Assassins. Harry and Draco will be leaders of the new era. They will lead our organization in changing the world. We all know your family has been Grey since the beginning of your family, so you already know its meaning. They along with their fellow members will bring about its publicity to the world. The Grey Assassins have been helping by doing good from the shadows for its past two eras. We are all experts on all aspects of war, survival, and magic. This is why we are known as assassins; we are warriors from the shadows. When we are reborn, we will become the Grey Army." Edward explained to Lord and Lady Greengrass.

"I see. We created the contract with the Potters to do this as well but in a different way at first. We planned for Harry and Daphne to be political figures." Anton said.

"This is great timing by coincidence, then. We cannot let you two join the Order now, but you can become allies of the Order. Will you?" Edward asked.

"Of course. What do you need for right now? Harry explained it already but we don't know if there is anything else." Iris asked.

"All we need is for you to try and get Harry and Daphne into a marriage suite to help the bond. You know how risky it can be if it isn't completed. That will be the easy part, however. The hard part is for you two to try to get Daphne into Gryffindor. This will help them stay together even more. All right?" Edward asked.

"Okay. Do you want us to leave now?" Anton asked.

"Yes. Please go back to the transport room and apparate just outside of the Hogwarts wards. It was a pleasure meeting you both." Edward said.

"Likewise." Anton and Iris both said before the five left the room and went back to the transport room. Once there, they all apparated outside of the Hogwarts wards like they were told. From there, Severus and Draco said good-bye and went into the school through the secret passageway. Harry and the Greengrasses used the main entrance.

Harry left Daphne's parents by the entrance to the Great Hall and went in by himself. He went up to the Teacher's Table without any hesitation. He could feel Daphne looking at him curiously. Their bond had managed to progress that far.

"What is it, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"Professor, I need to speak to the headmaster in his office. I would also appreciate it if you were present." Harry said.

"Very well. Let's go." McGonagall said as she stood up and went around the table.

"Professor, this matter involves Daphne Greengrass from Slytherin house." Harry said.

"All right." She said before she went over to Daphne and said, "Miss Greengrass, please come with me."

McGonagall then led Harry and Daphne out of the Great Hall. Nobody noticed Harry and Daphne had their hands intertwined. Harry then spotted Daphne's parents and beckoned them over.

"Professor, we are going to need Daphne's parents. Don't worry, though. They are right here." He said.

"Hello, Lord and Lady Greengrass. Would you mind telling me what Mr. Potter is up to?" McGonagall asked politely.

"I'm sorry, professor, but it will be simpler to explain to you and the headmaster at the same time." Anton said.

"What's going on, Harry?" Daphne asked in a whisper.

"Don't worry. Everything is under control." He whispered back.

Daphne nodded. The small procession finally arrived at the gargoyle and then proceeded up into the office.

"Minerva, what are you doing here with mister Potter and the Greengrass family?" Dumbledore asked as the group entered the office.

"That is what I would like to know, Albus. Potter, would you care to explain?" She asked.

"All right. When I was on the train to Hogwarts two weeks ago, I felt drawn to Daphne's compartment. She told me this might be a soul bond trying to form. We tested it and found that it formed." Harry began but was interrupted by gasps coming from the professors in the room. "Since then, we have not been able to spend time together for much time. You all know how this can be detrimental to both Daphne's and my health." Harry finished.

"I was contacted by a friend of mine who works with the books that hold the soul bonds in various stages. He notified me that Daphne had begun bonding with Harry here but had not allowed it to develop. As I was heading back to the floo this afternoon, I saw Harry waiting at the front desk. I went over and talked to him. He explained to me that they had not had the opportunity for it to develop. I then brought Harry home with me after explaining to the ministry workers who were talking with Harry about the situation. All of us then proceeded over here, and you guys can get the rest." Anton explained his side of the story.

"My wife and I talked about it, and we wish that Harry and Daphne be put in a marriage suite, so they may have the chance to develop this bond." Anton said.

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "All right, I will have it done. Is there anything else, Lord Greengrass?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, is it at all possible for Harry to be moved to Slytherin or Daphne moved to Gryffindor?" Anton asked. "It would probably help the bond even more."

'No! Not that! If I let them know about this, others might learn about it too. Plus, I cannot lose Harry.' Dumbledore thought. "I am afraid that that is impossible. It is against the rules." He said.

"Headmaster, I do not remember seeing anything forbidding it in the rules. Maybe you should check." Harry said.

Dumbledore knew he was trapped. "Very well let me check to see if there is a rule that forbids a changing of house." Dumbledore said. He then stood up and went over to a massive tome. He waved his hand over the tome while asking, "Is there a rule forbidding someone changing his or her house?" The tome flipped to its second page. On it there was a huge "No" on the page.

"It seems I was mistaken. I would suggest Daphne moves to Gryffindor, though. Harry would probably not be welcomed by the students in Slytherin." Dumbledore said.

"You are right, Dumbledore. Could you please affect this change immediately?" Anton asked.

"Do not worry, Lord and Lady Greengrass. The castle's magic as well as its house-elves can easily take care of everything." McGonagall said. "Watch."

A second later, Daphne's uniform changed from Slytherin green and silver to Gryffindor red and gold.

"See, it is done. If you want I will escort Harry and Daphne to their suite right now. It is after curfew." She said. Everyone then noticed that her words held real truth. This had taken longer than they thought it would.

"Very well. Good night, headmaster." Anton said.

The group then left the office, and when they reached the bottom, Anton and Iris said their good byes to the others.

"Thank you for taking care of our daughter, McGonagall. We appreciate it deeply." Anton said.

"No problem, Lord Greengrass. It is my duty and pleasure to take care of students." She said sincerely. She might be strict but was very kind.

They then parted ways. McGonagall led Harry and Daphne to a painting of a knight on a winged horse on the third floor.

"Good night, you two. Potter, I expect you to guide Miss Greengrass to each of her classes now that she is part of our house. Good night." McGonagall said before she left. She knew they would behave themselves. They were only eleven.

Harry and Daphne entered without having to give a password. The painting would recognize them even with polyjuice potion.

The suite it seemed held four rooms. There was the main room or living room. To the left, there was a private study with some bookcases. To the right was the bedroom and to its left was the bathroom. The bed was a four-poster with gold and silver sheets. Both of their trunks were there along with two wardrobes. The bathroom was very extravagant with a bathtub that could fit Harry and Daphne even when they were adults. Also in the bathroom was a vanity with two sinks and a huge mirror. Along with that there was a shower and a toilet. The rooms were red and gold but not overpoweringly so. This excluded the white and blue bathroom. These colors made the rooms feel homely. There were bits of Slytherin house, though, also. This included bits of silver and green present through objects around the rooms.

"All right, I guess it's time for bed." Harry said quickly trying to avoid the inevitable question. Harry and Daphne had explored each of the rooms.

"Uh-uh, Harry. You are not going to get off that easy." Daphne said with a no-nonsense voice. "What is going on?"

Harry then explained about what had happened over the past two weeks finishing with Harry's visit to Greengrass manor. She already knew about the Grey Assassins from Harry's memories.

Daphne remained silent for the whole time Harry spoke and continued to remain silent for a few moments. Finally, she spoke, "I see no other option but for me to join the Grey Assassins. That is the only way I can stay in the loop continually. Tomorrow, we will go see Snape, uh, Severus I mean." She said in a confident voice.

Harry was about to argue but stopped himself. He knew this was the only way to ensure Daphne's safety. "All right. We will see him tomorrow after breakfast. Will you join me for my morning exercises?" He asked.

"Sure. What time do we get up?" She asked.

"Six a.m." Daphne looked surprised at this but recovered and said, "All right. Let's get to bed."

With that said, Daphne went into the bathroom and dressed into her pajamas. Harry did the same in the bedroom. Harry and Daphne then got into bed and fell asleep quickly. That night they felt complete once more, and their bond grew stronger.

The next morning, Harry woke up at exactly 5:55 a.m. and got dressed in his workout clothes. He then woke Daphne up by kissing her forehead gently. She moaned and opened her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Six a.m. Time to get up and work out." He said.

"All right." She said. She then got out of their bed, got her workout clothes and went into the bathroom to change. When she came out five minutes later, her beauty blew Harry away. She wore a pink Under Armour tank top, black sweatpants, and a pair of black Asics.

Harry couldn't speak for a moment.

"Glad you like my outfit." Daphne said with a cocky smile. "Now let's go."

Harry managed to finally speak, "Yeah. I'll lead the way."

They left their suite and met 'Seamus' in the main courtyard.

"She's joining us, I take it?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to talk to Robes about letting her join the Order." Harry said referring to Severus's code name at Hogwarts.

"All right. By the way, you never did check out the your ten gifts to see which one was just right." Seamus said with a grin.

"Damn it! I knew I forgot something!" Harry scolded himself.

"Don't worry about it. Robes brought them with him." Seamus's grin grew wider.

"Arsehole. Now let's stop talking, and let's train." Harry said before he punched 'Seamus' in the stomach and took off running from both Daphne and Seamus. Daphne wanted him to stop joking at the most inopportune moments, and Draco wanted revenge.

After a minute of running, though, everyone calmed down and began running to exercise and to train. An hour later, everyone finished up, changed, and went to the Great Hall to eat breakfast. Draco was back as his Slytherin self.

The rest of the Gryffindor first years arrived shortly after Harry and Daphne finished eating… all of them except for Ron of course. He was a lazy prick.

The others were very confused as they sat down.

"What is she doing here? I thought she was a Slytherin?" Dean Thomas asked respectfully. They didn't exactly hate Slytherins yet. They just treated them how they were treated.

"I introduce my soul mate, Daphne Greengrass. She was able to change houses after her parents talked to the headmaster, so treat her like any other Gryffindor or else you're going to have to face me." Harry threatened at the end.

"Don't worry, Harry. None of us ever would. You know that." Neville said from Harry's left.

"Sorry but I had to get that out there." Harry said.

"All right, so is that why you never came back to the dorm last night?" Seamus asked.

"Yeah. Dumbledore gave us a marriage suite to cultivate the bond. If we don't, we could go insane since it has already been started." Daphne said.

"Okay. So do you need some introductions? I mean you guys are still going to come by the common room, right?" Neville asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't leave my best friend." Harry said.

'Wait a second. He's my best friend! What if I can have him join the Order?' Harry thought.

'You might want to cool it, Harry. I think you need to pace yourself for recruitment.' Daphne said in her mind not realizing that Harry was only thinking.

'Daphne? Can you hear me?' Harry thought.

'Yeah. Why?' She asked through her mind.

'I was thinking. I never moved my lips.' Harry said through the mind link.

'The soul bond! It must be progressing!' Daphne said through the mind link.

'Let's get back to our friends.' Harry said through his mind.

'Okay.' Daphne replied in the same fashion.

"Uh, you guys all right?" Neville asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking, and Daphne and I realized we could talk through our minds because of the soul bond." Harry said. "Sorry."

"It's all right. So Daphne, I am Neville. This is Dean. That's Seamus, and Ron is the last guy in our year. He's still asleep." Neville explained while indicating each person as he said his name. "Hermione is the girl by the older, house prefect, Percy. He is Ron's brother but is completely different. Parvati is the Indian girl, and Lavender is the girl talking to her. That's it for our year." Neville finished explaining while again indicating each girl as he said her name.

"Okay. I think I'll go introduce myself to them." Daphne said as she got up. "I'll see you in or right before class, Harry."

Harry continued to look at her until Neville elbowed him. The boys then began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"You. You're never gonna be able to date a girl. Never!" Seamus laughed out.

"Yeah, but do you see how she looks? She is the prettiest girl in our year at least. Plus, she's smart, and I love being around her." Harry said to convince his friends they were wrong. His friends didn't stop laughing.

"At least I was able to get a girl in my first year, beating all of you in getting one." Harry said with a grin. That statement shut them up.

"So you guys done?" Harry asked, quirking an eyebrow.

After they all agreed to not talk about that again, the boys began talking about anything and everything. The bell ringing was the only thing to interrupt this.

"It looks like Ron is going to be late again." Dean sighed. The other boys agreed and continued on with their previous conversation.

Finally, the Gryffindors arrived at the Transfiguration classroom. Harry and Daphne sat together with Neville to Harry's left. He was talking to Hannah Abbott. Gryffindor had class with Hufflepuff this week. The class began right before Ron arrived. Of course he again complained about how he got lost. McGonagall just told him to go to his seat.

"What is that snake doing here?" Ron shouted when he saw Daphne.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Greengrass is now in your house and I expect you to treat her as if she has always been. Do I make myself clear?" McGonagall scolded.

"Yes, professor." Ron said before he sat down towards the back.

The whole class was uneventful after that. The following classes were as well. Daphne would sit by Harry most of the time. At other times, she sat by Lavender and Parvati.

Finally, it was time for lunch. Harry and Daphne ate quickly and then left for Severus's classroom. They told their friends that they needed some time alone in their suite.

When they arrived, Harry and Daphne saw Severus's classroom was empty.

"Professor Snape? Are you here?" Daphne asked while Harry tensed up and opened his senses up to the slightest disturbance. He heard something beyond the door to Severus's office. He got Daphne's attention, put his finger to his lips, and indicated the door from which Harry heard the noise.

'You know we can talk through our minds, right?' Daphne asked using her mind.

'Sorry. I'm used to using gestures. I _am _being raised as an expert warrior of all forms. Now let's talk to Severus. He's probably through that door. Be ready to run if he's not, though.' Harry said through his mind.

Daphne nodded, and the couple went up to the door. Harry revealed his gauntlet and got the laser function ready. He opened the door and was relieved to find Severus looking over ten huge, rough-looking eggs.

"Hi, Severus. We got a chance to come by." Harry said in a relaxed tone as he disarmed his gauntlet and reactivated the invisibility function.

"Hi, Harry. I managed to get the eggs over here for you. Go ahead." Severus said.

"Thanks, Severus." He said and began trying to sense a potential bond.

Immediately, he sensed a strong pull from the egg fourth form the left. He walked over to the black, rough-looking egg. Besides being black it had streaks of red and white-blue highlighting it. When Harry picked up the egg, there was a white flash signifying the bond was made.

"Good. You found one. I'll just pack these up now. Take care of the egg, Harry. You know how to take care of a dragon." Severus said.

"Wait! I feel a strange pull from the eggs." Daphne said.

Severus and Harry exchanged a curious look to each other, but Severus nodded and said, "Go ahead. Pick up the one that pulls you towards it. That'll be your familiar."

Daphne moved straight towards a white egg with streaks of blue highlighting it. When she picked it up, there was again a white flash to signify the bond.

After that happened, the two eggs floated up and moved towards each other so fast everyone could barely see the eggs. The eggs stopped, though, right before each other. They then lightly touched, and a bright light signified the dragons had become soul bound. The eggs then went back to their respective owner.

"Did that just happen?" Daphne asked in wonder.

"Yeah." Harry said in the same tone.

Severus recovered and said, "Both of you better put your eggs in the fireplace in your suite. Lock the gate, Harry. Once that is done, get to class quickly. I cannot give you two a note."

Harry and Daphne both nodded and said their good byes to Severus. They exited the classroom, and Daphne began heading towards their suite before Harry stopped her.

"Daphne, hold onto me. I am going to shadow travel us into our suite." He said.

Daphne nodded before Harry took her hand and transported them through the shadows. A second later, Daphne found them in their suite.

"Whoa! That was weird." She said quietly before she regained her balance and put her egg into the fireplace like Harry had just done.

"Ready to travel again?" Harry asked after he locked the fireplace gate and cast a spell on it making sure that only he or Daphne could open it.

Daphne nodded and again was taken through the shadows and arrived at their next class.

The rest of the day proceeded without a hitch and was uneventful after that event.

**AN: Here's Chapter 10. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to all who have reviewed my story so far even the guy who complained about the lack of Harry/Daphne pairing. I would like to apologize for that. I have been thinking about all of the other of the many aspects of the plot. During this, the Harry/Daphne pairing slipped my mind. This chapter, hopefully, redeems that. I will keep on including this pairing in my future chapters. So, thank you Hoffindor. In other news, I would like to thank all of you who referred someone. I have received many more followers, so again I thank you all. If you could continue this, I would appreciate it greatly. As always, please review and give me your thoughts about this chapter. _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	11. Achieved Objectives

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Spell"_

'_Thought'_

**_The Grey Assassins:_**

**Chapter 11**

The next day, Harry and Daphne woke up at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled. Life was good. Sure, they were at Hogwarts and were playing a game of deception against almost all of the students and faculty, but it didn't matter. They at least had each other. Plus, they had Severus and Draco. Life was pretty good.

'You guys going to lie there all day making googly eyes at each other? Because if you are, let me know so I can spare myself by leaving.' Umbra asked.

Harry and Daphne's cheeks turned pink at Umbra's question and got out of bed. Daphne went into the bathroom to change while Harry did so in the bedroom.

'Sorry about that.' Harry said.

'It's all right, but please don't do that again while we're here.' Umbra replied.

'We?' Daphne asked as she came out dressed the same as yesterday.

'Yeah, Zeus and the other two that are here.' Umbra said.

"The dragons!" Harry said with wide eyes. 'They hatched?'

'Yeah, they hatched right before you woke up.' Umbra replied nonchalantly.

Harry and Daphne ran into their living room, and Harry unlocked the gate with a wave of his hand. They then looked into the fireplace and were amazed.

You could easily tell which dragon came from which egg. Daphne's familiar had four legs, and its scales and wings were pale blue with straight, pure white horns on the back of its head. The tail was lined with bits of white bone protruding. At the end of the tail was a sharp arrowhead piece of bone colored the same as the other pieces of bone. The dragon's snout was narrowed and elongated, and its ears barely protruded from the sides of the head and were pointed like an elf's.

Harry's familiar had the same body, tail, and wings as Daphne's in shape. Its body, tail, and wings were black, however, and the wings had streaks of blood red sprouting from the front of the wings. The underside was colored the same as the top. Also, Harry's dragon had the same type of head but had scales running from behind the ears to halfway between where the horns began and where the horns ended in sharp points. The whole head was black including the horns. Pure white fangs could be seen when it had its mouth closed. Harry's dragon even as a baby looked fearsome and quite powerful.

Harry put his hands into the fire and took hold of his dragon. He was not burned because of his elemental powers. The dragon immediately cuddled up to Harry as if it had known Harry its whole life, which it pretty much had.

As soon as Harry removed his dragon, Daphne's dragon opened its mouth causing the flames to stop and the logs to frost over. Daphne removed then removed her dragon and what happened with Harry and his dragon happened to her and her dragon.

"I'll contact Draco and let him know we won't be exercising with him today." Harry said. Daphne nodded, and Harry had his gauntlet appear. He activated the communication function, and a holographic screen appeared with Draco's face. The gauntlet saw through other gauntlets' disguises.

"Where are you, Harry? You two are already five minutes late." Draco asked.

"I'm sorry, Draco, but we can't exercise today. Our dragons hatched right before we woke up or so Umbra says." Harry explained.

"They hatched? That's great. You know what, screw exercising. Where's your suite? I'm coming over." Draco said excitedly.

"We're on the third floor behind a portrait of a knight on a winged horse. I'll set my tracking beacon to be picked up only by your gauntlet to help you." Harry said with a smile before he commanded his gauntlet to do what he just said.

"I'll be there in a second." Draco said before he ended the communiqué.

"What should we name them?" Daphne asked.

"Well, we should each name our own. You'll know which one is right. It'll feel natural." Harry said. "You go first." Daphne nodded and sat quietly for a few moments in thought.

Finally, she spoke, "Her name is Regina. It's queen in Latin."

Harry smiled and said, "His name is Rex. It's king in Latin." At a questioning look from Daphne, he elaborated, "I thought about his name while you were thinking about her name."

Before anything else could be said, there was a knock at the door.

Harry used his magic to pull the door open. A second later, Draco came in and closed the door behind him.

"Hey. What'd I miss?" He asked.

"We named them. That's it." Harry replied.

"So what are their names?" Draco asked impatiently.

"Here's Regina," Daphne began, "and here's Rex." Harry finished.

Draco nodded his liking of the dragon names before he said, "I have two things to say. First, please do not finish each other's sentences ever again. It's creepy. Second of all Harry, you suck at naming. I mean really? Rex? You are so creative."

"I didn't name him it because it's popular. I named him it because it means 'king' in Latin, asshole." Harry snapped back. Harry's cursing earned him a punch to the shoulder.

"What! He is one!" Harry received another punch to the shoulder.

"All right, all right! I'll stop!" Harry said. Daphne nodded her approval.

"So you want to contact Hogwarts castle now that you have some time?" Draco asked moving on.

"Good idea. If I don't, Severus will probably kill me for not focusing on the mission." Harry paused for a second appearing to be in thought. "Nah, he loves me too much."

Draco chuckled and Daphne shook her head at Harry's statement.

"Okay. Here I go." Harry said before he went into a trance-like state.

'Hogwarts? This is your lord speaking. I am the descendant of Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. Will you answer me?' Harry asked in a proud voice.

'I am here, milord. I answer to you and you alone.' A feminine voice that had to be Hogwarts responded.

'Thank you, I appreciate that. Do you obey the headmaster?' Harry asked.

'I did until now. Your call has changed this, though. I am in fully in your service.' Hogwarts answered.

'That is good, but I need you to obey Dumbledore until I tell you not to. He cannot know that I know about my heritage. I do ask that you tell me the goings on with him and the rest of the castle, though.' Harry commanded.

'I will obey, though reluctantly at your command of secrecy. Is there anything else, milord?' Hogwarts questioned.

'Yes, there are three things. First, I want you to answer to my soul mate, Daphne Greengrass as well as my descendants. This list may be added to in the future depending on some circumstances. Second of all, I want you to call me Harry unless I tell you not to. The same goes for Daphne. Lastly, I want you to give me a full map of the castle and its grounds including the secret passages. Do you know of the Marauders' Map?' Harry asked.

'Yes I do, Harry. It's in Filch's office currently. Do you want me to make your map like it except that it includes all of Hogwarts and its grounds?' Hogwarts asked.

'Yes, that would be great. The only other things for it would be that the password for it is 'Kill first or be killed' and that the map can be copied effectively.' Harry said.

'It'll be done, Harry. As soon as you wake from our conversation it shall be in your hand. Do you need anything else from me?' Hogwarts asked.

'No, I have no more orders for you right now. I will call on you again when I need a report or have more orders for you. Good bye for now.' Harry said.

'Good bye, Harry.' Hogwarts said before Harry woke to find himself back with Draco and Daphne.

"Hey guys. How long was I out?" He asked.

"About five minutes." Draco answered before he asked, "What's that in your hand, Harry?"

Harry then realized he had a piece of parchment in his hand. "I present the Assassins' Map."

"You managed to finish two of Severus's orders at one time? You lucky bastard." Draco responded. He earned his own punch from Daphne.

"Daphne, stop hitting us. It's getting a little ridiculous. Cursing is just words that we use to express ourselves." Harry pleaded.

Daphne paused for a moment before she said, "All right, but please try to contain it around the others, okay?"

Harry and Draco nodded.

"So, let's have a look at it Harry." Draco said to break the silence.

Harry smiled and waved his hand over the parchment while reciting the password.

"Why 'Kill first or be killed'?" Draco asked.

"It seemed like a good motto for our era of the Grey Assassins." Harry responded. "Now let's see what we have here."

The map was very impressive. It didn't just include the castle and the grounds but also included the loch and the Forbidden Forest. What was also amazing was the amount of secret passages and that the map showed the paths they used. Also, the map showed the secret rooms of the castle like the Chamber of Secrets, the Room of Requirement, and the marriage suites.

"Wow! I guess we don't need to get the Marauders' Map after all." Draco said in wonder.

"Marauders' Map?" Daphne asked.

"My father was in a group with three other Gryffindors that were in his year. One of them is dead, another is in Azkaban for killing him, and the last one is missing. While they were in school and all together, they were mischievous pranksters who were legendary for their pranks. They created the Marauders' Map since that was the name of their group: the Marauders. And Draco, we are still getting their map. We can't allow anyone else to get it. It's too dangerous in the wrong hands." Harry said.

"All right, when do we move?" Draco asked with a small sigh.

"Right now. It's only 6:30. Filch is on the seventh floor, and the map is in his office. We'll shadow travel to get there quicker. Hold on to me." Harry said in a quick general-like voice.

Draco complied with Harry's instructions, and Harry shadow traveled them away without another word. A second later, they arrived outside the caretaker's office.

"Stand guard while I get the map. Stay invisible, though." Harry said before Draco nodded before turning invisible. Harry then entered the office.

'Where is it?' Harry thought as he scanned the office for the weathered piece of parchment. Finally, he saw it on top of a stack of Fanged Frisbees. He went over and picked up before he put his right wand up to it and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Words and lines slowly became visible on the parchment, but before they could fully develop, Harry quickly said, "Mischief managed." And put the parchment away.

Harry quickly walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. He nodded to where he last saw Draco, and then felt a weight on his back and shadow traveled away.

Harry and Draco arrived back in the living room of Harry and Daphne's marriage suite three minutes after they left.

"You guys found it?" Daphne asked.

"Yep. Now to hide it." Harry said. He then walked over to a rug in the center of the room and pushed it aside. Underneath, he saw wooden floorboards. Harry then pulled up one and stuck the Marauders' Map inside. Before he did that, though, he turned the map invisible with a long lasting charm. With all that done he returned the board and the rug to their original places.

"Now that that's done, you guys want to have some fun?" Harry asked.

Draco grinned and Daphne had a concerned look on her face.

"What kind of fun?" Daphne asked aware of Harry's previous pranks.

"Don't worry, we won't kill anybody… probably." Harry said with a grin on his face.

"Harry…" Daphne warned.

"All we're going to do is bring our familiars to the Great Hall and have breakfast. It'll be fun to see people's faces. Besides, I don't want to leave Rex and Regina alone. They did just hatch, and it'll be suspicious for us to disappear on a school day." Harry explained.

Daphne then grinned. This was going to be fun.

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure you guys didn't do anything extremely dangerous." Daphne explained.

"Don't worry, Daph. I won't get into something I can't handle." Harry said before he gave her a hug that said 'thank you for caring.'

"Now let's go scare some kids!" Harry said with the grin back on his face. "Umbra, Zeus get in here! You don't want to miss this!"

Not even a second later, Umbra came running in followed by Zeus who was also making great time. Zeus slithered up Harry's arm and hid in his shirt with his head protruding from the collar. Umbra waited by Harry's side. Harry picked up Rex, and Daphne picked up Regina.

"Wait, am I coming with you guys?" Draco asked confused.

"Yeah, we can say you were friends with Daphne, so you're friends with me. That'll piss off Dumbledore." Harry said with a chuckle.

Draco's grin got bigger as he thought of what Dumbledore's face would look like. "All right, let's go."

"Wait, we have to change first. Meet us at the entrance to the Great Hall." Harry said before he and Daphne ran into their bedroom, closed the door, and quickly dressed out of their exercise clothes and dressed into their school robes. Zeus had slithered out when Harry closed the door. Neither of them noticed that they had just undressed and dressed in front of the other. With that done, Harry used a cleaning spell on both their mouths, so they didn't have to brush. They then picked up their dragons and left the marriage suite.

Zeus and Umbra hurried up behind them. Zeus managed to slither up Harry's leg and then stay in his shirt like he had before when the stairs were in the wrong direction for a moment. After that, the staircase seemed to be in perfect alignment for Harry and Daphne. When they arrived downstairs, it was seven o'clock, and Draco was there, waiting for them.

"Ready to turn some heads?" Harry asked, the grin back on his face.

"Yeah. You want Slytherin or Gryffindor?" Draco asked.

"Gryffindor because we might not be so welcomed by the Slytherin upperclassmen." Harry said.

"Good idea." Draco responded before the group entered the empty hall and sat down where Harry and Daphne usually sat. Daphne was on Harry's left, and Draco was across from Daphne.

They ate quickly, so that their food wouldn't be spoiled when the other Gryffindors came down. Harry and Daphne then fed their familiars.

At 7:30, the rest of the students started to come in. Many were surprised at the dragons in Harry and Daphne's arms. More were surprised that Draco was sitting with them, and the rest of the school were too tired to notice.

Seamus was the first Gryffindor first year to arrive and sat down to Harry's right. He was one of the few to not notice the dragons or Draco's seating. He then began eating. A minute later, he turned his head and nearly jumped out of his seat when he realized what many had already.

"What is this? You guys have dragons, and Malfoy is sitting here? Is this a joke?" He asked rapidly.

"No, it isn't, and I invited Draco over. I'll explain when everyone else arrives." Harry said. Seamus nodded his head. He trusted Harry. Harry knew what he was doing even if Seamus didn't.

Neville arrived next and immediately looked surprised at the dragons' presence at the Gryffindor table.

"I'll explain when Dean gets here." Harry said. Neville sat across from Harry but didn't look too happy about it.

Finally, Dean arrived. He immediately looked surprised at Draco's presence at the Gryffindor table.

"Sit down, and I'll explain everything, okay?" Harry asked rhetorically.

Dean sat down across from Seamus, and Dean and Seamus leaned in towards Harry to hear what he had to say.

"Last night after dinner, Daphne decided to invite a few of her Slytherin friends over to our suite, so I could get to know them. Draco and I became pretty good friends during it, so I invited him here this morning. He arrived early for breakfast like Daphne and I did. Please, don't treat him like many of our upperclassmen would." Harry said.

"No problem, Harry." Neville said before he turned to Draco and said, "Hi, my name's Neville."

"My name's Draco." He responded.

Seamus and Dean followed Neville's example and did the same thing except with his name.

"So, you want to explain the dragons now?" Neville asked Harry.

"I will explain an hour after our last class. Meet Daphne and me in our marriage suite. It's on the third floor behind a portrait of a knight on a winged horse. Daphne and I have to do something after our last class." Harry said. He had thought about it, and he wanted Neville, Dean, and Seamus in the Grey Assassins. Dean was very smart and with training could be good in combat. Seamus was a very devoted person and would always stand by his friends that would be excellent for the future. Neville was a mix of Seamus and Dean but also had great potential to be a leader if he would become more confident.

Harry's friends nodded and moved on to talking about how things were in Slytherin with Draco. At nine, the bell sounded and everyone left for class. The whole day, Harry and Daphne received curious looks from students and teachers. At lunch, Harry and Daphne were called into McGonagall's office for a change.

"I am beginning to realize you are going to be handful this year, mister Potter, but please tell me why you and miss Greengrass have baby dragons." She said.

"Professor, I will spare you the details of the story. These dragons are our familiars. I felt a pull on Sunday from a pet emporium. The dragon in my arms, Rex, came from the egg that summoned me. I was about to leave when the shopkeeper said that I had to take the egg that became Daphne's dragon with me too. He said it was because our dragons were soul bonded. I brought them back with me on Sunday and put them in our fireplace in our suite. Five minutes before we woke this morning for our daily exercise, the dragons hatched. At least, that is what my wolf familiar, Umbra told me over our mind link." Harry explained.

McGonagall nodded at Harry's explanation and said, "Very well, but please make sure your familiars behave. I will talk with the headmaster and see if we can make some accommodations for them. You two can return to your friends."

"Thank you, professor. I promise they will behave. Good bye." Harry and Daphne said before they left.

After their last class, Harry and Daphne went back to Severus's classroom.

"What are you two doing here?" Severus asked curiously.

"I needed to give you some updates. I contacted the castle. She is under my control but will not reveal it to the headmaster. I had her create a map of the whole castle and its grounds. It includes all of the secret passages and the secret rooms as well. It is pretty much an improved version of the Marauders' Map. I have it here." Harry said as he took out the map. "The password is 'Kill first or be killed." Harry then paused and made a copy of the map for Severus. "Here is a copy for you. I ask, though, that I will be the first in the chamber of secrets as well as the other founders' secret rooms."

"It maps those places, too?" Severus asked in wonder.

"Yes. Hogwarts was very pleased to help me." Harry responded.

Severus got over his shock, put the map away, and asked, "What of the Marauders' Map?"

Harry got it out and handed it to Severus. He had removed it before he left his suite that morning. "There it is. The password is 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good.' To close it you say, 'Mischief managed.' For my map just repeat the password." Harry explained.

"Good. Do you have anything else to report?" Severus asked.

"Yes. I have revealed my friendship with Draco, and he is welcome where I sit. Also, I am going to try to recruit Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas. They have great potential. Also, Daphne is going to be joining. Is that all right with you?" Harry asked.

"Yes. I just have one question for you." Severus said.

"Yes, Severus?" Harry asked.

"What are the names of your dragons?" He asked with a smile.

"Their names are Regina," Daphne began, "and Rex." Harry finished.

"Good names. Now I have to say good-bye. I have a potion to attend to." Severus said hurriedly.

Harry and Daphne said their good byes and left for their suite.

Ron stopped them at the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Look, it's the dirty snakes with their evil dragons, their evil cobra, and their dark wolf! Who have you killed lately?" Ron asked.

'What? I'm not good enough to be evil?' Umbra joked.

Harry and Daphne laughed at Umbra's comment.

"Oh! You think it's funny that you're evil? You won't think it's so funny when a great wizard like Dumbledore sends you back to the darkness from which you came!" Ron continued.

"What is your problem, Ronald? I have only been kind to you. Not all Slytherins are Death Eaters and are evil, and I am not evil because my familiars are a dragon, a wolf, and a King Cobra. If you really took the time to know me, you would find I am very nice. Now, if you are done insulting us, we will head back to our suite." Harry said calmly.

"What do you mean I didn't try to get to know you? I tried talking to you on the train, but you just shoved me out!" Ronald asked.

"What do _you_ mean? I was talking to you when you saw Zeus and ran away. Plus, you didn't try to get to know me. You tried to get to know the Boy-Who-Lived. Yeah, I know. Being raised on the street, you get to know to pay attention to your surroundings, and I saw that many of the compartments on the train were empty unlike what you said. I didn't find out until I talked to some actually good people who told me why I was famous, but when they did I figured it out. That is why you talked about my scar, you wanted to become friends with a famous person, so you could be famous." Harry said getting riled up.

At Harry's comments, Ron seemed to get smaller. When Harry finished, he said in an uncaring way, "Sorry. Can we start over and be friends?"

"No, you're not. Now get out of our way and leave us alone." Harry said.

"What if I don't? Are you going to call your Slytherin friends to beat me up? Or are you going to call on my Gryffindor friends who you infected with your evil ideas and forced to reject me?" Ron asked.

"I don't have to. I could take you down with or without magic on my own. Also, the Gryffindor first years you call infected with my evil ideas were never your friends. They hate you. You are constantly acting jealous and condescending, and you have fewer manners than a pig. Also, I have already told you that not all Slytherins are evil unlike what you think. Now I'll tell you again. Get out of my way!" Harry said with a contained fury.

Ron shrank back and moved aside at Harry's last statement. Harry and Daphne then walked past him and went up the Grand Staircase towards their suite. The whole time he could see them, Ron was glaring.

Harry and Daphne arrived at their suite with no further interruptions. When they got in, Harry and Daphne put up their stuff and rested on the couch. Five minutes after they sat down to relax; there was a knock at the door. Harry didn't feel like getting up, so he used his magic to open the door.

Draco came in and sat down in an armchair. "What's wrong? You guys look like you just encountered a troll." He asked.

"Might as well have been a troll with the manners and common sense he has." Harry remarked.

"We were stopped by Ronald Weasley, and he really taxed Harry's patience." Daphne explained after seeing Draco raise a curious eyebrow.

Draco nodded. He knew what he had done to Harry.

"You want me to teach him a lesson?" Draco asked.

"Don't tempt him. He might actually take you up on that offer. He would probably help." Daphne warned.

"I won't. I know not to hurt or kill him. If I was going to do anything to him, I would just prank him, and even then he would have had to done something terrible to either of you, our friends, even somebody decent, or of course me. I have restraint." Harry defended himself.

Daphne nodded her approval. "Okay. That's fair."

"So you got approval from Severus on recruiting Neville, Seamus, and Dean?" Draco asked.

"Yeah. That's where we were after our last class. We couldn't talk long because he had to attend to a potion." Harry said.

"Cool. From talking to them this morning, I can tell they have a lot of potential." Draco said sincerely.

Right after Draco said that, there was a knock at the door. Harry looked at his gauntlet and saw the time.

"They're early by fifteen minutes." He said.

He then got up and looked through the eyehole. On the other side of the door was Dumbledore.

"It's Dumbledore. I wonder what he wants." Harry said to Draco and Daphne.

He then opened the door and said, "Hello, headmaster. What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Harry. I am here to talk to you about you and Daphne's latest pets. May I come in?" Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly voice.

"Come in, but we can only talk for a few minutes. Our friends are coming over soon, and I think it would be a little uncomfortable to have you here." Harry said.

"Of course. I will try to be quick about it then." Dumbledore said as he crossed through the door.

"Mister Malfoy, what are you doing here?" He asked when he saw him in the armchair.

"I am friends with Daphne and Harry, headmaster. We decided to hang out with some more friends here to ensure privacy." Draco responded. He heard what Harry had told Dumbledore.

"Before you ask, sir, it is all right to talk about this in front of him. I do not hide much from my friends." Harry said before Dumbledore could speak.

"What do you mean by much?" Draco asked curiously.

"I'll tell you if you ask about it, but I won't tell you guys about my life on the streets beside that. If I do, then it is extremely vague." Harry explained.

"Ah. I'm sorry, sir, for interrupting you. Go ahead and talk to Harry and Daphne. I won't interrupt again." Draco said.

"Thank you, Draco. Daphne, Harry, I am concerned about your latest pets." Dumbledore said.

"Sir, they are our familiars." Daphne said.

"Oh? They are? May I ask where you two received the eggs?" The headmaster asked.

"I got them Sunday when I had some time between meetings. The ministry gave me some money, and I decided to go browse the shops. When I passed a dangerous pet emporium, I felt a pull like I did when I found Umbra and Zeus. Thankfully, those two were in the same emporium. This one, however, was in a different one. I did not see the name, so do not ask." He said when he saw Dumbledore begin to open his mouth. "I entered and moved towards the pull. I came up to a black, rugged egg with red and white highlighting it. When I picked it up, there was a white flash signifying a familiar bond was made. Before I could leave, a store attendant told me to pick up a pale blue, rugged egg with white highlighting it. He said these eggs were soul bonded and it should be a crime to come between it. I bought both eggs and secured them in a bag they gave me. After when Daphne and I arrived in our suite, I revealed the eggs. She picked up the blue one, and it bonded to her. We put the eggs in our fireplace, and they hatched this morning right before we woke up." Harry finished.

"Interesting story, Harry. I did not know these dragons were your familiars. If they weren't, we would have had to send them away." Dumbledore said to cover his tracks.

Harry thought it would be good to catch Dumbledore, so he said, "Sir, I talked to professor McGonagall after lunch, and she said that she would talk to you after her last class. Didn't you talk to her?"

"I am afraid I was not in my office when classes broke out; I was on my way here." Dumbledore responded thinking on his feet.

"Then why did you just show up now?" Harry continued to pressure the headmaster.

"I had to run an errand in the castle that had to be personally attended to by me. After that, I had to find out where your suite was from the house-elves." He responded again thinking on his feet.

"Oh. That makes sense. I will escort you out if you have no more questions for us." Harry said.

"Thank you, Harry. Good bye, Draco, Daphne." He said before Harry escorted him out.

When they arrived at the door, they said their good byes, and Dumbledore left. As he was walking up the hall, Harry's friends began walking down it.

"Hiya, Harry. Why was Dumbledore here?" Neville asked when they reached the door.

"He was concerned about the dragons. Please, come in." Harry said before he moved aside and welcomed his friends in. Harry followed behind them after he closed the door. Everyone except Harry sat down. He made a shushing movement with his lips before he revealed his gauntlet and scanned the room. After a second, there was a beeping sound, and Harry bent down and picked up a small round object. After another beep, Harry said, "It's all right to talk now guys. I had a feeling the headmaster left a listening device. I didn't want him to hear our conversation."

"What's with the gauntlet, Harry?" Seamus asked.

"I'll explain in a second, but I first need to know that you guys won't share anything that I tell you with anybody. And when I say anybody, I mean _anybody_, okay?" Harry asked.

Neville, Seamus, and Dean nodded their agreement.

"Of course we won't, Harry we're your friends." Neville said.

"Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. Because you are my friends and have potential, I am going to tell you what I am about to tell you." Harry said.

He then told his friends about the Grey Assassins, what they did, their beliefs, what was going on currently, Draco and Severus being members, and why he was trying to recruit them.

The whole time, Dean and Seamus were silent in shock. Neville on the other hand was silent in respect for Harry. Besides the silence, everyone listened in. When Harry finished, Neville asked, "So you want us to join?"

"Yeah. I think all of you have a lot of potential and would be great assets to our organization now and in the future. The Elders believe the new era of the Grey Assassins will change the world more effectively than the previous two combined. All of our members are trained to be the best warriors ever seen. I'll warn you, though, that once you join, there is no going back. I will give you up to a week to deliberate if you wish." Harry said, hiding nothing.

His friends exchanged looks, and Neville stepped forward and said, "That won't be necessary. We are joining. We're your friends, and we'll stick by you." Seamus and Dean nodded behind him.

"Thank you guys. I really appreciate it. We'll all meet here before we leave together for the Grey Assassins' main fortress." Harry said.

"No problem." His friends said.

"So, what can we do to teach Dumbledork a lesson?" Seamus asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Well, I did have an idea in the works, but we can do it tonight." Harry said. The whole room broke out in chuckles. Grins were plastered on their faces.

The next day, Dumbledore woke up looking and sounding like a very hot woman. It lasted the whole day and resulted in many students getting detention for hitting on a teacher.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It looks like everything is going good, but there still might be a twist or two. You won't know unless you keep reading! If anyone is curious, the Grey Assassin motto is the English version of my motto. Mine is in Latin. I also would like to thank all of you who like my story and review it. That means a lot to me. I got nothing else for you guys right now except to keep reading, recommend this story, and as always to please Review. _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	12. Realization and Initialization

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Spell"_

'_Thought'_

**_The Grey Assassins:_**

**Chapter 12**

That Thursday, Harry and Daphne decided to have Harry meet Daphne's friends in Slytherin. They thought it might be a good idea to start scouting Slytherin for recruits. It seemed that there were no more Gryffindors to recruit. Lavender and Parvati were too shallow, and Hermione was a spy for Dumbledore. They met in Harry and Daphne's suite after the last class of the day.

Harry and Daphne rushed out of Defense Against the Dark Arts and went down the staircase. The staircase like usual moved to just the right location for them except for the last part of the stairs. It moved and pointed them to a new part of the third floor.

'Hogwarts? Why did you move the staircase here?' Harry asked.

'Dumbledore is hiding something behind challenges created by some of the professors here. The start of it is here on the right side of the third floor corridor.' Hogwarts explained.

'Do you know what he is hiding?' Harry asked.

'No he has never said what it is here. I am sorry.' Hogwarts responded.

'There is no need to apologize. It isn't your fault. Can you tell me what the challenges are?' Harry asked.

'There is a cerebus behind the door. He is sitting on a trapdoor that leads into Devil's Snare. After that, there is a room filled with flying keys with only one opening the door. Then, you have a giant chessboard. I guess you have to win against the other side to cross. Once you pass that, there is a troll, and then there is a chamber with seven differently shaped bottles on a table. Each is filled with a potion of some sort. The last challenge has not been created, yet, I believe. It is just an empty chamber.' Hogwarts said.

'Huh. Those are some weak obstacles. I would say that the object is unimportant, but it has to be to have the challenges and to be at Hogwarts. Thank you for notifying me of this, but could you now direct us back to our suite?' Harry asked.

'You are welcome, Harry. I will move the staircase back for you. Is there anything else?' Hogwarts asked.

'No, there isn't. I will call if I need you. Good bye for now.' Harry said before he felt himself return to his body.

"What did Hogwarts say?" Daphne whispered.

"I'll tell you later. It's best to not discuss it here." Harry whispered back.

"Okay. Let's go back to our suite, Harry." Daphne said. With that said, they rushed back to their suite and put away their school supplies. They managed to finish up right before there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Daphne shouted as she rushed back into the living room from the bedroom. Harry did the same from the office where he had begun reading a letter from Gringotts. He had a worried look on his face for a second before he put a smile on it.

"I'll tell you later." Harry said once again.

'I need to know if your friends are joining first. If they are, then I'll tell you sooner.' Harry explained over the mind link as Draco came in.

"Draco, don't you have a life? I mean, you're five minutes early." Harry joked.

"I'm just doing what we've been told: always arrive early because you might find something useful." He responded.

"Just what I wanted to hear. You see any of the others on your way over?" Harry asked.

"I only saw Blaise and Tracey when we headed back to the common room. I left much earlier than them." Draco said.

"Okay. I was just cur-" Harry was interrupted by another knock at the door.

"Come in!" Daphne shouted not as loudly.

The next to arrive were Neville, Seamus, and Dean.

"Hey, did you guys start without us?" Neville asked. His confidence was getting greater each day, but he didn't act reckless like many Gryffindors were known for.

"Never. It isn't a party until the three cats arrive." Draco said with a grin.

"Watch it, you rat eating snake." Seamus responded as he put his hands up and waved them frivolously pretending to box.

"Okay, calm down crouching tiger and hidden snake. We're here to have fun, not to have a slap match." Harry said as he put his hands on Draco and Seamus's shoulders.

When Harry said that, the whole room broke out into laughter.

As they were laughing, there was another knock at the door.

Harry stopped laughing long enough to say, "I'll get it." He then walked over to the door. When he opened it he was met with Tracey and a dark skinned boy who must have been Blaise. Harry had not paid much attention to who his classmates were. It wasn't that he was stuck up. He did analyze them, but he did so to see if they had potential or how they would be as an opponent of any kind.

"Hello, Harry. May we come in?" Tracey asked.

"Of course, Tracey. Let me bring you guys to Daphne before she kills me. She's really excited that you guys are here." Harry said before he led them inside.

"Daphne!" Tracey called as she saw her life long friend.

"Tracey! I am so glad you're here. It's been so painful not being able to spend time with you like we used to." Daphne said.

Harry shook his head with a smile on his face. They had just spoken in DADA.

"Oh, Blaise. I'm glad you came. Let me officially introduce you and Harry. Harry this is Blaise, my other best friend since I was little. Blaise this is my soul mate, Harry." Daphne said.

"Nice to meet you. Daphne has told me a lot about you, all of them good." Harry said as he held out his hand.

"Likewise. Daphne said when we were younger she had a marriage contract because of a soul bond. It's nice to finally meet you. It's even nicer to see that it isn't one of the jerks from Slytherin. Though, it is surprising that it is you. I thought the Potters and the Greengrasses hated each other?" Blaise asked as he shook Harry's hand.

"We'll explain in a few minutes when we all sit down." Harry responded, giving nothing away.

"Okay." Blaise said, slightly confused.

"Okay everybody, sit down. The fun will start soon, but first we have to tell Blaise and Tracey about the Grey Assassins." Harry said with his voice starting fun but then going serious.

Everyone did as Harry asked and sat. Harry then began telling Daphne's friends about the Grey Assassins, who they were, what they did, how there was going to be a changing of power, that they were the first of this new era, and that they wanted them to join them. Tracey and Blaise sat and stayed silent the whole time taking in every word.

"Wow! That's a lot to take in, but… why do you want us?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Both of you display attributes that indicate that you have potential. Almost all Slytherins have some potential, but many have qualities that betray them when it comes to recruitment. What I mean by this is that there are many who are very self-centered and will not work well in a team, and others are just plain evil. You two are neither. I was able to rescue Draco because he wasn't evil; he was just a spoiled brat." Harry explained.

"So do you two need some time to think about joining us? We will understand if you do. We are asking you to forsake all your previous allegiances and join us. It isn't a small question." Daphne said.

"I'm with you guys. Daphne's been my friend for too long for me not to join you guys." Tracey said after a second of thought. Blaise was silent.

"What about you, Blaise? You need some time or can you give us an answer now? There will be no hard feelings either way." Harry said.

"I don't need any time. My mum was a part of you guys before they disbanded. She told me I would have been a great asset. She thought, though, that the Grey Assassins were dead." Blaise said the last part confusedly.

"I never heard about that event occurring. The Elders did tell me, though, that the organization was dyeing. Apparently, many of the members of the last era thought it had died in the time since the first members started leaving. Do you know why they left?" Harry asked.

"My mum told me that the Elders told them that their era was coming to an end and that it would be best to leave and set up their lives." Blaise answered.

"Huh. That is interesting, but I need to know. Will you join us?" Harry asked again.

"I will join the Grey Assassins. My mum said they could have changed the world for the better, and I want to help do what she and her fellow members couldn't." Blaise said.

"Thank you. We appreciate it." Harry said.

"There is one thing, though." Blaise said. At this Harry and Draco tensed up and expected a fight of any kind even though they hoped for the best.

"What?" Harry asked warily. Daphne rolled her eyes at her soul mate's caution.

"You still didn't answer my question about how the Potters and the Greengrasses are involved." Blaise said with a grin. Harry and Draco relaxed. If anyone were to have observed them, though, they would have found them no different at what Blaise said. That was one of the most crucial skills learned: stealth.

"They are not directly related even though they did tell me that they tried to recruit my parents when they were young. Daphne would explain better for she has known it longer, though." Harry said as he turned to Daphne on the couch.

"Okay, Harry. The Greengrasses as everyone knows are a younger family than the Potters and supposedly darker and enemies. None of these things are true. When the Greengrass family first came to exist it showed great support for the Grey side of magic, which was unheard of. The Potters were the same except they knew from the years since their creation that they would have to operate in secret and gain much support from Light families. So, the Potters held a secret meeting with the Greengrasses and came up with a plan. They would both be secret about their ideals until the time was right and they had enough allies on both sides of magic. The Greengrasses would seem to be Dark, the Potters would seem to be Light, and they would both seem to be enemies to everyone but each other.. Our families were going to change the world peacefully as great politicians first, but if they had to they would use violence in a war. That is probably why Harry's dad decided to not join the Grey Assassins." Daphne explained for all of them.

"Interesting, but can we have some fun and not talk about work? I mean we are meeting at their headquarters tomorrow evening, right?" Seamus asked.

Harry and Draco's eyes widened. How were they going to get all these people to their base, unnoticed? The actual traveling would be simple, but how to stop suspicion on Saturday and Sunday?

"We might have a problem." Harry said. Daphne's eyes widened as she heard what Harry was thinking.

"What?" Neville asked when he saw the expressions on Harry, Daphne, and Draco's faces.

"How are we going to be at headquarters without people noticing we are gone?" Draco asked rhetorically. Everyone else's eyes widened at what Draco asked.

"I'm going to contact Severus and get him over here. He might have an answer." Harry said as he got up and moved toward the fire.

"What are you doing? You can't use a floo here. Only the headmaster can." Dean said, confused.

"Oh, yeah. There is one more thing I didn't tell any of you except Daphne and Draco. I'm the only descendant of all four of Hogwarts's founders." Harry said as he looked back to tell them. He then turned to the fire and used it as a floo to contact Severus.

"What is it Harry?" Severus asked. He knew that Harry was Lord Hogwarts, and he could use the floo and stop it from being traced here at the school.

"We need you to come up to our suite. We need your advice on something important." Harry said.

"Okay. Where is your suite?" Severus asked.

"Third floor left side corridor. Look for a portrait of a knight on a winged horse. We'll answer the door." Harry responded.

"I'll be right there." Severus said before he ended the call.

"He'll be right here." Harry said before he turned around and was faced by a humorous sight.

In front of him, everyone excluding Daphne and Draco had their mouths open gaping in shock.

"Is it really that surprising to you guys? I mean I'm as brave as Godric, deceptive as Salazar, smart as Rowena, and as loyal as Helga. Plus, I am kind of getting to be known for surprises." Harry said. Nobody moved. It was time to try a different tactic.

"You know if you keep your mouths open like that, you'll attract flies." Harry advised.

This statement caused everyone's mouths to close and exchange a glance among each other.

"Sorry, Harry. It's just you can't drop a bomb like that on people and not expect them to be surprised. So, how long have you known?" Neville said.

"Since August first. I went to Gringotts to see my inheritance." Harry replied.

"Oh." Neville said.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back. Act as if you guys are having fun in case it's a teacher besides Severus." Harry said before going up to the door and looking through it. Harry was unsurprised at who was on the other side. He opened the door for the man.

"Headmaster, what are you doing here? I know its not to see my sparkling personality." Harry said with a grin on his face.

"No, Harry. I'm not. There is a problem." Dumbledore said.

Harry lost his grin at once and asked, "What kind of problem?" He couldn't have figured out the prank yesterday was them.

"Some of your friends' parents are complaining about who they are hanging out with, like you." Dumbledore lied.

'I have to stop the houses from forming friendships especially Gryffindor and Slytherin. Next thing you know, there will be a person from each house in each common room. I can't allow that.' Dumbledore thought.

"Sir, I think that if my friends' parents have a problem with who they hang out with just because of the families' relationships, then the parents should talk to their children and not complain to the school. It isn't your fault." Harry said.

"You are right Harry, but there is nothing I can do." Dumbledore responded.

"Well, let's see what they think. Please, come in." Harry said as he opened up the doorway.

Dumbledore looked surprise at Harry's openness but walked in anyways.

"Hello, children. I need to tell you something." Dumbledore said as he walked into the living room.

"What may that be, headmaster?" Neville asked in his old intimidated voice.

"Many of your parents do not approve of your choice of friends here. They have sent letters to the school stating this." Dumbledore said.

The whole room was silent in thought.

Finally, Neville spoke, "Why does it matter what they think? We're friends and there's nothing they can do to stop us." His voice got more confident as he spoke until it was at his new normal level of confidence.

Dumbledore looked shocked at Neville's attitude. "What do you mean?"

"He means that we're friends no matter what are families want or say." Draco said.

There was a chorus of, "Yeah" from all the eleven year olds in the room.

Dumbledore looked shocked even more at this but nodded and said, "Very well. I will notify your parents of your decision. Continue with your party. I'll walk myself out."

"It'd be rude of me not to, headmaster." Harry said as he gestured towards the door and began leading the headmaster to the door.

"Good bye, Harry." The headmaster said.

"Good bye, sir." Harry said before he closed the door, and Dumbledore walked away.

Thirty seconds later, there was another knock at the door. Again Harry answered the door, but this time he was faced with Severus.

Harry made a shushing motion with his finger and led Severus inside. Harry repeated the motion with his friends and then scanned the suite with his gauntlet.

After there was a small beep, Harry sat and said, "It's all clear. It seems Dumbledore learned from his last mistake."

"Why was he here this time?" Severus asked with a sigh.

"He tried separating us, but he couldn't. We stopped him in his tracks." Neville responded.

"Good. Now, what did you guys need?" Severus asked.

"Let me first tell you that everyone in this room is a Grey Assassin or soon will be. They have all agreed." Harry said.

"Good. Did he warn you guys of the dangers you will face?" Severus asked as he turned to the rest of the room.

Everyone nodded.

"Thank you. Nothing you guys will accomplish will be a small feat, so I know the last members of my era will appreciate it. Now will you tell me what you need, Harry?" Severus asked as he turned to the boy.

"We have a problem. How are we going to get everyone to headquarters without arousing suspicion?" Harry asked.

Severus was silent for a moment.

"We could take turns with the initiations. Then we could find a place to train here at Hogwarts." Severus said.

"But where- I think I got it." Harry said.

"What?" Draco asked while Daphne was nodding her head.

"That could work, Harry." Daphne said.

"What could work?!" Draco asked impatiently. He hated when they talked through their mind link when other people were there, like him.

"Chill out, Ms. Prissy Pants. We could use the Room of Requirement to train. It'll turn into whatever we need it to be." Harry said.

"How do you know that, Harry?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. Let me ask Hogwarts." Harry said before going into a trance like state.

"He could have at least said excuse me." Draco commented.

'Hogwarts, I need to talk to you.' Harry said.

'Yes, Harry, of course.' Hogwarts said.

'I have a question for you.' Harry said.

'What is it?' Hogwarts asked.

'How come I know about the Room of Requirement even though I have never been inside or been told what it does?' Harry asked.

'You are Lord Hogwarts, and as him you can know everything about me and my grounds.' The castle responded.

'Oh. That makes sense. Thank you, I will call if I need you.' Harry said.

'Good bye, Harry.' Hogwarts responded before she left Harry's mind.

"So?" Seamus asked.

"Apparently, the answer is very simple. It is because I am Lord Hogwarts." Harry said. Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Should we go over to the room while we have some time?" Neville asked.

"I'm okay with it. What do you guys think?" Harry asked the room.

"I need to attend to a potion, so it is up to you." Severus said.

"It is a good idea." Draco said.

"Yeah, it is." Blaise replied.

"You know my answer, Harry." Daphne said with a smile.

"I'll go for Daphne." Tracey told everyone.

"I'm the one who suggested, so you know my answer." Neville said.

"I'm fine with it." Seamus replied.

"Me too." Dean finished for everyone.

"Okay. Let's go. I'll lead the way. Severus, we'll see you tomorrow." Harry said as everyone got up and headed to the door.

"See you children tomorrow in class." Severus said before he walked down the hall with his robes billowing behind him dramatically.

Harry and his friends then turned and walked the other way toward a secret passage to the seventh floor Harry had found while looking at the Assassins' Map. They went through a portrait of an old wizard holding a staff with lightning coming off of it. They did not need to say anything to unlock it, so they pushed on the portrait to reveal a staircase. When they reached the top, they found themselves in the corridor that held the Room of Requirement. Harry walked in front of it three times while thinking of the room he wanted. Suddenly, a door appeared, and Harry opened it to reveal a room that looked exactly like the training room at Grey Assassin headquarters.

"You couldn't be a little more original?" Draco asked.

"It serves it purpose." Harry replied with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"This is the training room for the Grey Assassins at our main base." Draco explained.

"So, this will be where we train. It could use some punching bags." Seamus commented. As soon as he said that, punching bags appeared in the room.

"How about some hockey sticks and an ice rink?" He asked. They appeared as well.

"Would it be too much to ask for a whole football team?" Seamus asked once again. This time he was unanswered. "Damn it!"

"Let's get down to the Great Hall. It's almost dinner time." Harry said.

Everyone agreed and headed downstairs using the Grand Staircase. They arrived earlier than everyone else, and sat down at the Gryffindor table and waited for food to start coming out.

That evening Harry and his friends got many more strange looks than usual. Nobody dared to bother them, though, not even Ronald who reserved himself to deathly glares.

Before they all said good byes and left for their common rooms or marriage suite, Harry told everyone to meet him in the main courtyard at six a.m. to start their training. Everyone agreed.

The next morning, Hogwarts saw an odd sight. There were eight first years running around the castle's grounds while dodging obstacles. After they were done running, they dropped to the ground and did push-ups and sit-ups.

Harry and his friends arrived at the Gryffindor table at the same time that morning. Half of them were totally exhausted from their previous lack of exercise. Harry, Daphne, Draco, and Seamus on the other hand were relatively fine. Seamus's father had taught him boxing and kept him in shape.

That whole day the whole group was nervous. The ones who were about to be initiated were worried about how it would go. Harry and Draco were worried if the Elders would approve of their friends.

Finally, their last classes ended and they ran to their living quarters to pack away their school supplies. They weren't going to use the cover of night. They were just going to use the secret passages after meeting in Harry and Daphne's suite.

"You ready for this, Daphne?" Harry asked as they waited for their friends.

"Yeah. I mean I kind of know the Elders already don't I? I just can't help but be nervous." Daphne asked her question with a chuckle.

"I get it. I'm nervous, too. The only time I have ever been this nervous was…" Harry trailed off.

"What?" Daphne asked. She knew Harry was never very nervous even at the Dursley's.

"I was only this nervous after I met your parents. I didn't have time to be nervous when I did it really. I guess it's because I was treating it as a mission. But, the Elders aren't even related to me." Harry said.

"Maybe they have become parental or grandparental figures to you for the past two years?" Daphne asked.

"And that's why you're nervous. It's because you subconsciously know it through my memories." Harry finished in an understanding voice.

"I think I might be sick." Harry said after a second as it registered in his mind. She was kind of going to meet his grandparents.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Daphne shouted as she guided Harry onto the couch.

"Whoa, Harry! You look terrible!" Draco said as he came in and saw Harry's face. It was green. "What's wrong?"

"Daphne… basically… meeting… my… grand... parents. I… just… realized… Elders… are." Harry managed to squeeze out as he tried to calm himself down.

Draco's eyes opened wide in shock, as he understood what he said.

There was another knock at the door.

"Come in!" Daphne shouted again.

The rest of their friends entered this time.

"What's up with Harry?" Neville asked concerned.

"We'll tell you later... away from Harry." Daphne responded.

"Thanks. I'm better now. Let's get this over with." Harry said as he stood up.

Draco knew there was no use arguing with Harry. He knew when Harry was dead set on something there was no stopping him… unless it was a plan. In that case, Harry would use the same determination in getting the job done but would use a better plan if it came up.

"Let's go then. Are we using the secret staircase?" Draco asked.

"Yeah. We're meeting Severus at the other end of that secret passage we first used." Harry said as he led the way to the portrait.

They used the staircase and came out into the base of the clock tower. They then quickly turned back into the castle and went up to the suit of armor. Harry and Draco exchanged a glance and put up an invisibility shield around them, their friends, and the entrance.

"Use magic on the area." Harry said to his friends.

Daphne did so and the entrance was revealed. They walked through the entrance, and when they saw the last person go through Harry and Draco backed up until they were in the entrance. They then turned their gauntlets off as the entrance closed. Everyone then proceeded down the passageway. They came out the other side faced with Severus.

"How we getting there?" Harry asked.

"Port key for the people we can't apparate." Severus explained. Harry nodded and hugged Daphne. Draco held onto Blaise, and Severus held onto Neville's hand after passing out the port keys: rocks.

"Just say 'Grey Assassins." Severus explained before he, Harry, and Draco apparated to the transport room. A few seconds after they arrived, Seamus, Dean, and Tracey arrived. Harry, Draco, and Severus showed their tattoos to the guard and led the group to the ritual room. They had no time for formalities.

When they arrived, Severus told them what to roughly expect.

"Swallow your fear. Do not get rid of it. Fear will keep you aware, but do not let it consume you. You will feel pain, but this is what you signed up for. You were repeatedly warned of the risks of being a Grey Assassin. This will be the first, but know this: there is no way it can kill you. Through all the pain, remember that it will not have any effect on you permanently and will only be there when the ritual occurs. You shall go one at a time." He warned his favorite students. All of them were showing more determination than many protégés he had seen, and that was what Severus wanted: determination and respect.

"How come you didn't tell me all this stuff two years ago?" Harry asked appearing offended.

"We were in more of a rush, and that detail was left out. It was accidental. Normally, all recruits are warned before the initiation ceremony. Now, do I have anybody who wishes to go first?" Severus asked Harry's friends and betrothed.

"Might as well get it over with." Daphne said after shrugging.

"Very well. Follow me." Severus said.

Daphne followed Severus as he opened the door. She was surprised to feel Harry's hand slip into hers. Severus led Daphne up to the steps to the altar that Harry used two years ago. When he turned around, he was very surprised at Harry's actions at first but realized it wasn't very surprising after a second.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Edward asked from the platform.

"I will not abandon my soul mate. Even if I can't help her, I am going to stay." Harry said in a voice that dared anyone to question him. His voice had such determination in it; Daphne couldn't help but fall more in love with him.

"Harry, she will experience great pain. Are you sure you want to witness this?" Evelyn asked concerned.

Harry didn't hesitate when he said, "I am sure. I will wait on that wall." Harry said as determined.

Victor nodded and said mostly to Edward, "Then let's begin." Harry gave Daphne a quick hug and went over to the aforementioned wall.

"Please step up to the basin." Edward said in a booming voice. Daphne did so and waited for further instructions.

"Daphne Anne Greengrass, you are here today to join the ranks of the Grey Order of your own free will. Correct?" Edward continued.

"Yes, Edward." Daphne said confidently.

"Do you, on this day, revoke all old allegiances you may possess and commit yourself to the Grey Assassins? This does not involve family, Daphne." Edward asked.

"Yes, Edward." Daphne repeated.

"Do you swear to defend and never betray another member of this order unless they themselves have committed treachery or it is necessary not to come to your brother's or sister's side for the survival of the Order?" Edward continued.

"Yes, Edward." Daphne said once more.

"Then, I, Edward the present leader of the Grey Assassins, give my blessing for you to join us. Are there any opposed to my blessing?" Edward said and after a couple of seconds of silence he continued, "Then Daphne, take this dagger and slice your palm with it, and then let your blood flow into the basin while reciting: _Sit iuramentum meum priorem tsand verum aeternum._ Understand?" Edward finished while the dagger with several runes and inscriptions on it suddenly appeared and floated above the basin.

"Yes, Edward." Daphne repeated. Then Daphne grasped the dagger out of the air and quickly sliced a thin line across her palm stretching from one side to the other without flinching. With that done, Daphne balled her hand into a fist to allow the blood to flow better and recited the incantation.

Inside the basin, the clear liquid turned red from Daphne's blood, but the color didn't last long, for as soon as Daphne started to recite the incantation the colors swirled from one color to the next.

This continued for a minute before all of a sudden blood stopped flowing from Daphne's hand and a bright flash accompanied by a weak force exploded from Daphne, forcing everyone slightly back.

When the light dissipated, Daphne looked barely affected. The only difference was that she looked a little tanner and healthier. She also looked pissed off.

"Why did you assholes tell me it was going to hurt?" Daphne asked, enraged.

"It didn't?" Harry asked.

"No! Why do you think I'm asking?" She shouted again.

"It is one of the final tests of initiation. It is to test devotion." Edward said calmly.

"That was the wrong answer, Edward." Victor said quickly beside him as he backed his chair away. He knew this might not be pretty.

"You are so lucky we need you to train or else I'd hit you so hard you'd see Merlin for a week." Daphne said now with a relatively quiet fury.

"I'm sorry, but it's mandatory." Edward said.

"Then how come Harry was in such pain besides the blocks?" Daphne asked.

"There would have been no pain. Like I said it's mandatory." Edward responded.

"Why is it mandatory?" Daphne asked with the same fury.

"It is because Harry has become like a grandson to us." Edward said with a smile. Daphne's anger dissipated immediately, and Harry and Daphne's faces lit up red in embarrassment.

"You wanted to know the answer." Edward said with a devilish smile.

"I'll go show her to my room, now. Good bye, everyone." Harry said quickly as he and Daphne almost ran out of the chamber.

"They're waiting on the next person. We'll meet back up with you guys before we leave. We'll be in my room." Harry said quickly as he led Daphne to his room. Behind them, Harry could hear Severus chuckling. He was going to pay for that.

"Are we going to your room?" Daphne asked.

"Nope." Harry said.

"Secret spot?" She asked again.

"Secret spot." Harry confirmed.

Harry and Daphne walked through the maze of corridors until they arrived outside the fortress. They went straight for the stables and went straight for two horses. One was a chestnut color, which Harry saddled, and the other was a pinto, which Daphne saddled.

'Ready?' Harry asked.

'Yeah.' Daphne answered.

"Let's ride!" Harry yelled.

With that cliché phrase, Harry and Daphne took off down a path that only they could distinguish. They looked like flashes of light as they raced through the forest toward Harry's and now Daphne's secret spot.

Finally, they arrived at a waterfall. Harry and Daphne dismounted and tied their horses up to a boulder with protruding edges that made the smooth surface uneven. They then walked up to where the water first collected before going down the river that snaked around the whole forest. The water was relatively slow moving. Harry and Daphne took one look at each other and dived into the refreshing water. They swam down into the deep, water covered cave. Harry pressed a rock and a part of the rock wall slid into the rest of the wall. Harry and Daphne swam through the opening, and the wall slid back into place. Suddenly, the water started to drain out of the cavern. Another part of the wall slid down into the ground revealing another entrance. Harry and Daphne went through the opening to find themselves back in the sunlight with a lightly treaded path. The path led up to the top of a small hill. Trees were plentiful around the path.

This was Harry's secret spot.

"Wow. It's beautiful." Daphne said in a quiet voice so as not to break the serenity, which was at the top of the hill.

"I'm glad you like it." Harry said just as quietly.

Harry and Daphne sat down and enjoyed each other's company, completely quiet to keep up the magical serenity of the hill.

Suddenly, a small beeping broke the silence.

"Damn it." Harry said before turning on the communication function without using the holoscreen. "What's up?"

"We need to outfit Daphne with a gauntlet and the mark and then go back to Hogwarts." Severus said.

"Be right there." Harry said before turning off the relay. "We better go, Daph."

Daphne nodded, and they went back through the passages and the water to arrive back at their horses. They then mounted them and sped off back to the fortress. Ten minutes later, they met the others in the armory.

"Thank you for finally joining us." Severus said sarcastically.

"We're here, aren't we?" Harry retorted.

"Yes, you are. Daphne, please step forward." Severus said, dismissing Harry.

Daphne stepped up to Severus, and stuck her arm out, knowing how this was going to go. Severus then took out a gauntlet from a container and placed it on Daphne's arm. A flow of energy rushed into Daphne as the gauntlet latched onto her arm. Severus brought out a second one from the same crate, and the same thing happened.

"How do you feel?" Severus asked.

"Good. I feel a lot smarter and I know more." Daphne said.

"Yes. It's because you are linked up to the Grey Assassin mainframe. You have access to all information posted on it, and you can be tracked by other members if you have the locator on." Severus explained.

"Good. Is there anything else that needs to be done here?" Daphne asked.

"Yes. Follow me. We need to get you your tattoo." Severus said before he led the group through the maze of hallways.

"Where'd you guys go? We checked your room." Draco whispered to Harry as they walked.

"I can have a place that I only know about, Draco. You should do the same." Harry whispered back.

Draco remained silent but nodded his head. Finally, they arrived at a door with "Tattoo Shop" in Graffiti-like letters. They entered and found what looked like a cool, modern tattoo parlor.

"Ah. Another newbie needing their mark, huh Severus?" A woman with black hair and half of her bangs pink. Tattoos covered her body, and she had piercings in almost all known places: two for each ear, a lip, a nose, a tongue, and a belly-button ring. She had a skull ring on her left index finger.

"Yes, Nicole. Could you hurry, please? We need to get to Hogwarts soon." Severus said after sighing.

"No worries, Sev. So, who is it?" Nicole asked in an American voice.

"I am, ma'am." Daphne said politely.

"Don't call me ma'am. My mom is ma'am. Call me Nikki. Now, let's give you your first tat…?" Nicole asked as she swept her arm towards a chair.

"My name's Daphne, Nikki." Daphne said as she sat down.

"So, you ever think about getting a tattoo before this, Daph?" Nikki asked as she began laying down the stencil.

"Never. It isn't exactly normal to have a tattoo when you're a pureblood heiress." Daphne responded. She didn't even notice Nikki start moving her hand in the motions matching the stencil design.

"Huh. What's your last name?" Nikki responded as the ink started to engrave itself into her skin.

"Greengrass, but it'll be Potter in a few years." Daphne said nonchalantly. She noted Harry was looking at a tattoo catalog.

'Don't do something drastic without my opinion, Harry.' Daphne told Harry. He paused and closed the catalog but kept it in his hands.

"Why's that? Are you two dating?" Nikki asked interested. The tattoo was almost finished.

"No. Our parents created a betrothal contract, and we're soul bonded." Daphne answered.

"That's one of the things I hate about magical Britain. You guys are still stuck in the Dark Ages. You should see America. Now, that's efficiency." Nikki said before a bright flash occurred. "You're done. Let me know if you want another one any time soon. They're free."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind, and I think Harry's seriously considering it." Daphne said as she looked at Harry still holding the catalog.

Nikki smiled and looked at Severus before saying, "There you go, Sev. Another Assassin marked. I'll see you around."

"Bye, Nicole. Try not to kill yourself with another piercing." Severus responded before turning and leading the group back to the transport room.

Before the door closed, everyone could hear Nikki shout, "It was one time!"

The nine Grey Assassins arrived back at Hogwarts five minutes later. They entered the castle undetected and separated. Severus went to his office, and the others went to the Room of Requirement to begin Training. They still had two hours before supper.

"Can't we take the rest of the afternoon off?" Dean asked.

"What do you think?" Harry asked rhetorically.

"Shit!"

Everyone laughed at Dean's comment.

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter. I also hope everyone enjoyed the holidays, but good and evil don't take a break as well as me. I'll let you guess what side I'm on. If you've noticed, the chapters are getting longer, so the time between updates will be longer as well. If you have any suggestions or comments for me, feel free to review, and I'll try to get back to you within a day or two. I can't say 'as always please review' this time, so keep reading and I'll keep writing. _Occidere prima vel occidi._**

**_Sit iuramentum meum priorem tsand verum aeternum: _"Let my previous oaths stand true forever" (Binds the speakers words to vows he or she has made in recent hours).**


	13. New Recruits

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Spell or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought'_

**_The Grey Assassins:_**

**Chapter 13**

"Harry?"

"Yeah, Draco?" Harry asked.

"We need to start recruiting other first years." Draco said.

"I know. On Friday, we'll call the Hufflepuff potentials to the Astronomy Tower tomorrow after class. I'll notify Severus." Harry responded.

"Will you two stop working? It's Halloween for Merlin's sake!" Daphne intervened.

"Sorry, Daph. Working helps distract me from…" Harry left unspoken.

"I know, but focus on what today is for everyone else. Besides, the day's almost over." Daphne said knowingly.

"All right, I will." Harry promised.

"Hey, Harry. Did you hear about Hermione?" Neville asked.

"Hear what about that fucking Dumbledore spy?" Harry asked.

"While you were with Daphne after Charms, Ronald tried talking to us. He said this about Hermione, and I quote: 'it's no wonder no one can stand her. She's a nightmare, honestly.' A second later Hermione ran past us before we could tell the weasel to get lost." Seamus said.

"Yeah, I heard that she's been in the girls bathroom all day, and that's why she hasn't been in class." Dean added.

"Wow. I mean, I hate the girl for being a spy for Dumbledore, but I can't believe weasel would say something like that over being corrected and then doing it before he could. That's just wrong." Tracey said.

"Yeah, but-"

Harry was interrupted by Quirrel running into the Great Hall shouting, "Troll-in the dungeons! I thought you ought to know."

He then fainted. Harry noted he fell backwards instead of how people normally fell on a flat surface: forwards.

The Great Hall remained silent for a second before all of the students excluding the Assassins got up screaming in terror.

"Idiots." Harry commented loud enough for only his friends to hear.

It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy then shouted as he led the Gryffindors, "Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

The Grey Assassins detached from the rest of the first years being led by prefects and went into the secret staircase.

"Who could have let a troll in?" Tracey asked.

"I don't know, but it means trouble." Harry said before a thought struck him.

"Hermione doesn't know!" Neville said in realization before Harry could.

"Do we have to save her?" Draco asked with a sigh. Harry was sighing as well.

"We have to. Remember one of our objectives: it was to recruit as many as possible for our order. If we can turn Hermione, she can be a quadruple agent for us." Harry said.

"Okay, so what's our next move?" Seamus asked.

"You guys go back to your dormitories. Daphne and I will handle it. People will notice you guys if you're gone. Daphne and I have our own suite." Harry said before he saw the look on his friends' faces. "This is not up for discussion. We'll contact you once we get back to our suite. We'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

The eight friends then went their separate ways. Neville, Seamus and Dean went up the stairs, Draco, Blaise and Tracey went down the stairs, and Harry and Daphne left the staircase on the first floor. The couple moved swiftly and perfectly silent like they were trained to. Right before they turned onto the corridor that held the girl's lavatory, they smelled an awful stink that had to be the troll. Its heavy footsteps confirmed their guess. Harry looked around the corner and sighed.

'What?' Daphne asked.

'This just got harder. The troll just entered the bathroom.' Harry answered before he and Daphne turned around the corner and went straight to the bathroom door. They heard the troll groaning, so they knew nothing had happened... yet. They took one look at each other and nodded as the laser function on their gauntlets activated.

'Use fire-like laser.' Harry instructed before he turned and opened the door while moving into a crouching position and aiming his gauntlet to the left. Daphne turned and aimed hers to the left as well but remained standing. In the second that this took, there was the sound of wood breaking filling the air. The troll had decided to use its club on the bathroom stalls.

"Get down!" Harry screamed as he fired off a blast aimed right at the back of the troll's head. Daphne held her fire in case it was needed to finish the troll. They learned that overkill was overrated unless absolutely necessary. Daphne was right to wait, for the beam hit the troll's head dead center and went straight through. The troll fell down automatically because of the force of the blast. As soon as they saw that the beam had gone straight through its head, Harry and Daphne deactivated their gauntlets and turned them invisible.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as she came crawling out of the rubble fifteen seconds later.

"I… don't know." Harry said wondrously.

"Is it…dead?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Harry said again in the same voice.

"Wow." She replied before silence reigned over the destroyed room.

A minute later, the silence was broken when the professors burst into the room. Severus went straight past the students and went up to the troll with his wand pointed at it. Meanwhile, the other professors looked on in shock except for McGonagall.

"What exactly happened here?" She demanded.

"When Daphne and I were with the other first Gryffindor first years on our way to our suite, we remembered that Hermione was here, and we decided to warn her. We arrived around the corner when the troll started to enter the bathroom. Daphne and I decided to do our best to save her life and ran in here. I felt a strange power within me, and I shouted 'get down!' A second later, a strange orange force came out of my hand, and next thing I knew, the giant fell down with a hole in its head." Harry explained.

"Is it dead, Severus?" McGonagall asked as he stood.

"Yes. It looks like Potter killed it and saved the day." Snape said in his disdainful voice.

Everyone paled at least slightly at this. Quirrel went pale as a ghost.

"What were you thinking? You're lucky not to have been killed!" McGonagall reacted with a cold fury in her voice.

"I didn't want to have someone killed especially if there was a chance I could stop it." Harry said as Daphne nodded.

"Please don't be mad at them, professor. They did save my life." Hermione said in a small voice.

"Be that as it may, I am going to deduct points for this. Five points will be taken from each of you, but Mister Potter, Miss Greengrass, I am awarding thirty points to both of you for your noble intentions and for saving Miss Grangers' life." McGonagall said.

"Thank you, professor." Daphne said.

"You are welcome, Miss Greengrass, but I would like to know what this 'force' was. Severus, what did it look like?" McGonagall said.

"It seems that the force was fire. There are burn marks all around where it first hit, and it seemed to have burned through the flesh, bone, brain, and cartilage in the head quickly. My guess is that Mister Potter has proved himself even more extraordinary for he is a fire elementalist." Severus responded in an even more disdainful voice.

All of the people looked shocked at this revelation.

"We will discuss this tomorrow after dinner. For now you three, head to bed." McGonagall said for Dumbledore had left quickly.

"Good night, professors." The three students said before they left the room and went to the Grand Staircase.

"Meet us in the Astronomy Tower after lunch. We have to discuss something with you. Do not tell anyone about this meeting." Harry said before he and Daphne stepped off the staircase and went to their suite.

Harry and Daphne walked into their suite, said hello to their dragons that were now the size of small dogs, and went into their bedroom. There they proceeded with their regular routine before they covered themselves with the blanket and sheets.

"You know we're going to have to reveal your heritage soon." Daphne said.

"I think we can keep it under wraps for at least another year." Harry responded.

"Maybe, but our group is getting bigger. With Nott, the Hufflepuffs, the Ravenclaws, and now Hermione as potentials, our operation is starting to get pretty big." Daphne said.

"What are you suggesting?" Harry asked.

"I think that we should start a club where only members and possibly potentials of the Grey Order are members. It would give an excuse to meet, and would eliminate much suspicion because Dumbledore would never think a spy would stand himself or herself out so much." Daphne explained.

"I'll talk to Severus tomorrow about it when I meet with him to notify him of us starting recruitment on 'puffs. Now can we go to sleep?" Harry asked as he yawned.

"Sure thing, Harry." Daphne said before snuggling into his chest. Within a minute, they both were out cold.

The next morning, they woke up and proceeded with their normal routine except their pets joined them when they arrived downstairs.

Umbra had grown much and was now the size of a Great Dane but was built heavier. Zeus was now eight feet long and was a bit wider. Rex and Regina, though, had changed considerably. They had both grown proportionally to be the size of small dogs. Also, they had started spewing fire among other things. It turned out that Rex could do the same thing with lightning, and Regina could spew a breath that was similar to a blizzard.

While the humans exercised by running, jumping, climbing, pushing up, pulling up, and sitting up, Rex and Regina practiced flying and using their powers, Zeus relaxed, and Umbra practiced running, jumping, climbing, biting, clawing, and shadow traveling. Harry and Daphne found that Umbra shared the ability that the Grey Assassins used. After bringing this information to the Elders, it was explained that Umbra was a King Shadow Wolf, and that they were thought to be extinct.

The Grey Assassins went back to their rooms, got ready for the rest of the day, and left for breakfast. When Harry finished, he went to Severus's office promising that he would meet them in class.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" The potions master asked.

"I wanted to notify you that we're going to try recruiting Miss Granger and some of the Hufflepuff potentials. I think that since I rescued her, she will be willing to get out from under the old fool's thumb. Do I have your blessing on recruiting today?" Harry said.

"Yes, but where are you meeting them?" Severus asked.

"Hermione is meeting us in the Astronomy Tower after lunch. We can easily break in. The same place after classes for the Hufflepuffs." Harry said quickly.

"Good. Is there anything else?" Severus responded.

"Yes. Daphne suggested to me last night that we start a club. It would be filled with Grey Assassins and potentials. She explained that it would give us an excuse to meet and be close together after classes, and wouldn't be that suspicious with Dumbledore because of it being public." Harry replied.

"I'll talk to the Elders about it." Severus said before noticing how Harry was after he explained to Severus Daphne's idea. "Is there anything else you need to tell me, Harry?"

"Yeah. It bothers me that there are ex Grey Assassins out there that haven't heard anything from high command since their last order." Harry said after a second.

"You know about that?" Severus asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Blaise told us about it when we first told him of the Grey Assassins. He said his mum told him that she was one. Why can't we call on the willing to help us, Severus?" Harry said.

Severus sighed and said, "You weren't supposed to know Harry, but the Elders have been debating it since we rescued you. I am personally for it, but the Elders are concerned that they'll do more harm than good because of how long it has been."

"I'll talk to them later while the initiates are getting their gauntlets and tattoos." Harry said determinedly.

Severus smiled and said, "That's my boy. Now go to class before the bell rings. You can't be late."

"Bye, Severus." Harry said before running out of the office. Neither of them realized what had just transpired until the middle of their first classes.

"What's wrong Harry?" Daphne asked when she saw Harry's eyes widen slightly.

"I have a father." Harry said softly.

Daphne nodded in understanding. Everyone had realized it after a week of seeing how Harry and Severus reacted with each other.

"It is nice, isn't it?" Daphne whispered.

Harry didn't say anything but nodded. Up until lunch, his eyes were lighter, his mouth was more of a smile, his laughs were more cheerful, and he wasn't bothered by anything. Harry Potter was genuinely happy.

Severus was the same but was able to keep up his strict guise of apathy.

Finally, it was time for lunch. Harry had briefed everyone on the plan for today. Hermione would get recruited after lunch in the tower. The same thing was to happen after last class with the Hufflepuffs. Everyone was to then meet up with Severus in the Forbidden Forest. They would then proceed to the base, initiate the recruits, gear them up, and be back before dinner.

Harry and Daphne ate quickly. They would be the only two going, so she wouldn't be intimidated… too much. It was also to help with erasing her memory if she decided to go to Dumbledore. When they finished they took turns keeping an eye on Hermione and talking to their friends. The others knew what they were doing, so they acted casual.

Finally, Hermione finished her lunch, and left the Great Hall. Draco and Neville watched her go from the other side of the table. Draco flicked the air with his left middle finger and thumb. Harry and Daphne nodded slightly to acknowledge. They waited a minute before getting up, saying good-bye to their friends, and leaving the Great Hall. Harry and Daphne went straight into a shadow area unnoticed. A second later they appeared in the Astronomy Tower. With a wave of his hand, the door unlocked. They then waited inside.

After a few minutes, the door opened. Hermione looked surprised that Harry and Daphne were already here since she saw them in the Great Hall before she left.

"Hello." She said getting over her surprise quickly, but her stoicism was broken again when Harry revealed his gauntlet and scanned Hermione. After a small beep was heard, Harry greeted their guest.

"Hello, Hermione. Please have a seat." Harry said friendly as he waved his hand. Three chairs and a table appeared between the Gryffindors.

Again, Hermione looked shocked but sat down anyway.

After everyone had sat down, Harry spoke again, "I know who you are, Hermione. I know what you are. You are a spy for Dumbledore that he sent to befriend me, so he could have me under his thumb. I had suspicions that Dumbledore would do this before I even got on the train. My suspicions were confirmed when Ronald Weasley and then you tried to befriend me with lies. He said that all the other compartments were empty, and you said that Neville lost his toad."

"What are you going to do to me?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"I promise you nothing bad will happen to you. In fact even if you don't cooperate, I won't harm you. I will only bring you to an unknown location, extract the information painlessly, wipe your memory, and then bring you back to school. Now, here's what I am going to definitely do to you. I am going to request one thing from you and ask another. I want to know why, how long, and anything else related to this whole thing. That is my request. Will you answer me and make this much easier for us all?" Harry said.

"I'll cooperate." Hermione said.

"Thank you, Hermione." Harry said gratefully.

"When I received my letter, Dumbledore personally gave it to me. He said that he would pay for my school tuition, and if I wanted, muggle college. All I had to do was spy on you, befriend you, slip you loyalty potions, and report back to him every week via a floo. He told me I would be working with Ronald. When you showed me that you had suspicions about me, I reported it. He told me that I wouldn't do any of what he previously instructed, but he might have further use of me. Dumbledore hasn't given me any other instructions except spying and reporting on you and your friends." Hermione revealed.

"Is that it?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah. That's it." Hermione answered.

"Good, I appreciate your honesty. Now for my question, but let me first tell you about a group." Harry said before telling Hermione everything the other recruits had been told.

"So, you see that we are both spies here at Hogwarts but for different sides. Now, let me get to my question. You are very smart and capable. You have potential to join us. Here is my question: will you join us?" Harry said after he and Daphne finished their explanation on the Grey Assassins.

"You want me after everything I've done?" Hermione asked bewildered.

"Yes. When I first came to this meeting, I had many doubts about you, but I know see you did it out of confusion and desperation. I can understand that since you had just been introduced to the wizarding world, and Dumbledore used that to recruit you. Now, I will tell you that joining us requires personal sacrifice, but that it will be well worth it. What do you say?" Harry said.

Hermione remained silent in thought.

"What would you have me do about Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.

"If you joined us, you would become our friend in school, and you would feed false information to Dumbledore." Harry replied.

"I'll join you." Hermione said after another second of thought.

"Thank you. Meet us here after our last class. We're recruiting some of the potentials from Hufflepuff." Harry said as he stood and offered a hand.

Hermione shook it and said, "I'll be here."

Harry then waved his hand again and the chairs and table disappeared.

"See you in class." Harry and Daphne said before they disappeared into the shadows. They left behind a very shocked and a very different Hermione. Hermione was different because she now had friends, and it showed.

Harry and Daphne appeared in the shadows behind the other Grey Assassins and walked straight through them. The group adapted to accommodate their friends.

"Successful. What about you guys?" Harry asked after a minute of walking toward their next class.

"We got all of them meeting us." Draco responded.

"Good, so what were you guys talking about?" Harry asked his voice getting friendlier as he spoke.

"Oh, just talking about how much of an asshole you are. You know, the usual." Neville said. Everyone laughed. The rest of the day passed even more effortlessly.

Finally, their last class ended. Harry and his friends left so quickly, it seemed as if the bell had rung when they opened the door, although it was two seconds after. They rushed quickly to their rooms, packed away their books, and met up in the Astronomy Tower. Neville, Seamus, and Dean arrived first, followed by Harry and Daphne, and finished off by Draco, Blaise, and Tracey. They conjured some seats for them and their guests.

"So how are we going to play this?" Dean asked.

"Same way we have done the other times. We explain, let them decide, and bring them to base. There we initiate them, gear them up, and be back before dinner. This time, though, Daphne and I have to meet with the old coot after dinner." Harry said.

"You're not going to try something else?" Tracey asked.

"This isn't an interrogation, Tracey. We can't intimidate them… yet. We just need to warn them." Draco said.

"All right." Tracey said. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Pftt."

"Uh! Draco! I can't believe you just farted, man!" Seamus shouted.

"And it stinks too!" Blaise added.

"It wasn't me!" Draco said going as red as a balloon.

"Dude, we all heard it come from your ass! Remember that we have enhanced hearing?!" Neville shouted as well. Nobody noticed Daphne and Harry remaining silent.

"I swear I didn't!" Draco shouted.

"Whatever, Draco, we all know you did it." Seamus said.

"Guys! You totally fell for it!" Harry said finally not being able to hold in his laughter any longer. Daphne was close behind him.

"You, asshole! I can't believe you!" Draco shouted while the whole room was on the floor bellowing at Draco's reaction.

"How did you do it?" Dean asked between laughs.

"The gauntlet has power beyond imagination." Harry said in a royal voice before cracking up again. The whole time Draco looked pissed.

Finally, everyone calmed down and sat back in their chairs. Fifteen seconds later, there was a knock at the door. Everyone readopted his or her stoic faces giving nothing away about what had happened earlier.

"Come in." Harry said.

Hermione entered.

"Ah, Hermione. Please, have a seat. We're still waiting on the other potentials to arrive. In the meantime, though, I would like to say that we have all agreed that you can become a member. All that is left for you is to go through the initiation and gear up." Harry said.

"Thank you again, Harry, for this chance. I won't let you down." Hermione promised with conviction.

"You're welcome, but I know you won't. Know, though, that even if you do, nobody will lose any respect for you." Harry said before there was another knock at the door. "Now, let's take care of this."

"Come in." Daphne said with authority.

Harry was unsurprised at who entered. There was Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Ernest Macmillan, and Justin Finch-Fletchy. All of Hufflepuff had potential because of their determination and loyalty.

"Welcome. Now, I don't know what my friends told you to get you here, but you will soon find out that they might have been lies used to try and recruit you for our organization. Before I tell you about it, though, know this: there will be moments of great peril and sacrifice, but it will be worth it. Also, you should know why we want you four. All of you show determination and loyalty. These qualities are of the utmost importance to us because all other skills can be trained to an extent. May I begin?" Harry asked. Everyone nodded his or her agreement.

Harry then did as he had done three times before and told the potentials about the Grey Assassins and what was happening. Everyone paid attention and observed silently.

When Harry finished, Hannah looked at Susan and then back at Harry and his order.

"I'm in. It sounds like you guys aren't like everyone else blowing steam. You guys are preparing to change unlike people who just talk about how bad their lives are. Plus, you guys don't care who or what is against you. So, I'm in." Hannah said with conviction.

"Hannah's right. The Grey Assassins have what's best in mind for everyone. They aren't just focusing on themselves. I'm in." Ernest said.

"I'm with my friends, Ernest and Hannah. I'm in." Justin said as well.

"Thank you three. Susan, let me tell you that you don't have to give me an answer right now. You can have up to a week to think it over. You just can't tell anyone about our conversation. Do you want the week?" Harry said understandingly.

Susan remained silent.

"I just don't want to betray my aunt, and I don't want to be recruited because of her." Susan said concerned.

"We would never. You have much potential on your own. Your aunt was a factor in your recruitment, but just as an eventual ally. We would never turn a family against itself. I promise you that we want you for your potential and nothing else." Harry said without hesitation.

Susan paused. He was telling the truth. She could tell by his eyes and how he said it.

"I'm in." Susan said.

"Thank you. Now, please follow us. We have to get you to our base quickly." Harry said as everyone stood up. Harry then disappeared the chairs and led everyone out of the tower. Dean locked the door behind everyone. They then proceeded down to the passage that led to the Forbidden Forest. When they arrived at the entrance, Harry and Draco activated the invisibility function and covered their friends and the entrance. When everyone was through, they backed into the entrance and deactivated the cloak. They then ran down the tunnel to cut as many seconds as they could. Finally, they saw a lone, silhouetted figure standing at the exit.

"They all joined?" Severus asked.

"Yeah. Let's go. We can side apparate." Harry said before grabbing Justin's arm. Daphne grabbed Susan's arm, Draco grabbed Ernest's, Seamus grabbed Hermione's, and Neville grabbed Hannah's arm.

"Hold on tight. If you have never side apparated, prepare for a shock." Harry said before everyone felt like they were being squeezed through a straw and then appeared in the transport room of the Grey Assassins.

All the members showed their tattoos and then led the potentials to the ritual chamber after a nod from the guard. They arrived two minutes later after navigating the maze of hallways.

"Who's first?" Severus asked as he turned to the potentials.

"Professor Snape?" Susan asked what the other Hufflepuffs were thinking.

"Yes. I am a member of the era before yours. We will train you and ally ourselves with you politically, but we cannot fight with and for you. That is your duty. Now, who wants to go first?" Severus asked.

"I betrayed you guys; I should go first to show loyalty." Hermione said before walking past the group and into the chamber as the doors closed behind her. A few minutes later, she came out looking barely different. As with everyone except for Harry, this would always be the case, and it did not fail for Hannah, Ernest, Justin, and Susan as well.

"You guys go and get geared up. I need to talk to the Elders." Harry said before giving Daphne a good-bye kiss on the cheek and entering the ritual chamber.

"Harry? This is a surprise. What can I do for you?" Edward asked, delighted.

"I want to talk to you about the last era of the Grey Assassins, your era. We need them. They're skills are unmatched. I have heard from Blaise and Severus about what happened, and you guys need to stop it. They will not fight. They will train and use the weight they've gained since they retired for our cause, a cause they fought for." Harry said passionately and almost like an order.

The Elders were shocked at this.

"Harry, you don't understand." Helen said.

"No, I will not be treated so immaturely. You are the ones that need to stop being immature. If we can make it clear, I believe we will have no problems that will cause concern, all right?" Harry argued.

The Elders remained silent in thought before giving one another a look.

"You are right, Harry. Keep in mind, though, that we do have more experiences and were just using it to look out for you." Edward said.

"I know, Edward, but I know that we have to risk it, and to be honest, you guys have gotten a little paranoid since the last order was given. So, you will gather them here?" Harry asked more friendly. He didn't want to have to say his other reason. He didn't want to be manipulated ever again.

"Next Saturday, they will be here along with the new members. Anything else you need to talk about with us?" Edward said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm going to need a profile on each member to have ever have joined the order. It would probably be good to create a Grey Assassin database for them and all other information about us. When the member dies, his or her gauntlet will wipe its memory and then disassemble. I thought that might be a good, new function for our gauntlets." Harry said.

"I'm impressed, Harry. It sounds like a very good feature. We'll have our people work on it. Anything else?" Edward asked again.

"Yes. Daphne suggested to me last night that we should form a club at Hogwarts. It would be a very good front for meetings and training for the spies at Hogwarts." Harry suggested, hopefully. "I agree with her."

The men on the council grinned before saying, "Good job, Harry. You have found one of if not the most important rule of being a couple: always agree with your wife or girlfriend." Evelyn and Helen then punched the three men.

"It's true!" Edward said before turning to Harry quickly and saying, "All joking aside, it is a great idea. You have our blessing, but for now, you should meet up with your friends before things get really ugly."

"Thank you, Edward. Good bye, everyone." Harry said quickly before turning around and speed walking out of the chamber. The last thing he heard before the door closed was, "Ow! Where did you get a step-ladder?!"

Harry then met up with his friends in the tattoo parlor.

"Hey, Harry. I'm almost finished with Susan here. You come to get another?" Nikki said when she saw Harry.

"Afraid not. We're in a hurry. We have to get back to school before Dumbledore notices. I'm going to get one next week, though." Harry said sadly. He had a great idea for one.

"No problemo. Are you going to get a standard one, or are you going to challenge me?" Nikki asked with a devilish grin. She loved custom tattoos; they felt more real to her.

"I got an idea, but I can't draw for shit." Harry said with a chuckle. The Hufflepuffs looked shocked at Harry's language but said nothing.

"All right. You. Are. Done! Look at your first tattoo. I hope I can do another for you sometime." Nikki said to Susan.

Susan thought for a moment. "You know what? I might just do that." Susan said with a smile.

"All right. We got to go. I'll see you next week, Nikki." Harry said as he led the others out of the room and to the transport room. Severus had already gone back to Hogwarts. He came to provide the port keys and to help with the initiations.

"Bye! Say hi to Sev for me!" Nikki shouted behind them.

The group walked quickly to the room before arriving in the Forbidden Forest again.

"Okay. Once we're through the tunnel, everyone head back to your common rooms. Draco, I forgot to ask you earlier; I'm going to need the password for the Slytherin common room. Harry's gaze turned to the Hufflepuffs. "The same goes for you guys. Meet us outside the Great Hall tomorrow at six. You'll then start your training."

Hannah, Susan, Ernest, and Justin nodded their consent. The whole group then walked through the tunnel to emerge back in Hogwarts. They then did as Harry asked and went back to their dorms. Dinner would start soon. It was 6:15, and it would start in fifteen minutes.

Harry and Daphne went and decided to explore the castle for a few minutes before Harry thought of something.

"Daphne, do you want to go into the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked appealing to her Slytherin pride. Each student at Hogwarts held at least some pride of their house and would claim that it was better even if facts disproved it.

"When can we go?" Daphne asked excitedly. It was one of the things she had been most curious about. What was down there in the that mysterious chamber?

"Calm down, Daph. We'll go after curfew so as not to arouse suspicion." Harry said with a grin.

"All right. Let's go get dinner before meeting the headmaster." Daphne said. Her voice had calmed down, but her eyes betrayed her. They looked lighter in color.

So, Harry held out his arm and escorted Daphne to the Great Hall to meet their friends. When they arrived, they saw all of the girls in the Grey Assassins curiously at the Hufflepuff table.

"I'll meet with you after dinner." Daphne said before giving Harry a kiss on the cheek and walking over to her friends.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Harry said as he sat down. He noted that Ernest and Justin were with the other boy Grey Assassins here.

"The girls thought they should get their own time away from us." Dean said pretending to sniffle.

"Yeah, I thought they liked our jokes?" Seamus joined in.

"I thought so too!" Draco butted in.

"Why do they hate us?" Neville cried.

"Why?" Blaise whined with fake tears rolling down his cheeks.

Ernest and Justin looked shocked and amused by their antics.

"Oh, don't mind them. They're just sissies." Harry whispered loud enough for all of his friends to hear.

"Oh shut it! At least me don't spend almost all day with a girl. You're the one who's going to be soft." Draco argued.

The group was silent for a moment as that digested. Suddenly, they laughed uproariously.

The rest of dinner was spent much like that with them joking around with each other.

Finally, though, it ended.

"See you in the morning." Harry said as he got up and met with Daphne in the Entrance Hall before going to the headmaster's office. They didn't need an escort because even if they didn't have better memorization skills, they would have memorized the way from being to the office so often.

"We have an appointment." Harry said to the gargoyle to gain entrance to the office.

"Welcome, Harry, Daphne. How are you?" Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly voice.

"We're good, sir. You?" Daphne asked.

"I am fine; thank you for asking. Now, let's move onto the matter at hand. Harry, you killed a troll. You need not worry, however, since it was in self-defense, you did not commit a crime. That was something I thought you needed to know. The reason I called you here was to discuss with you about your fire abilities." Dumbledore said.

"What about them? Isn't it normal?" Harry asked.

"It is not, Harry. In fact, the last fire elemental lived over a hundred years ago. I need to ask: has anything like this happened before?" Dumbledore inquired.

"No, sir. I haven't experienced anything like it. I mean, I have always felt comfortable around fire, and I can easily start it with materials. Never, though, have I controlled the fire besides moving the material being burned." Harry said.

"Hm. Harry, you are going to need to be trained. I will have somebody here at Hogwarts to tutor you by the end of the month. How about meeting with him every Friday night before dinner?" Dumbledore suggested.

"I am sorry, headmaster, but I prefer to unwind on Friday nights. Tuesdays or Wednesdays would be good for me." Harry negotiated.

"Very well. When he or she arrives, you will begin your training on that first Wednesday." Dumbledore agreed.

"Thank you, headmaster." Harry paused. "Sir, while we are here, I would like to ask you something." Harry said.

"Go ahead, Harry." Dumbledore responded.

Daphne, my friends, and I would like to start a club. It would be a club for physical exercise and all who want to do it." Harry said.

'No! It isn't tradition! And if people start exercising, then they won't be so gullible! I need to stop this!' Dumbledore thought.

"I am sorry, Harry, but you need to have a school sponsor, a teacher. Also, there is much paperwork involved, so it would take much time." Dumbledore said sneakily.

"That is all right, sir." Harry began.

'Yes! He's giving up!' Dumbledore thought.

"We can just meet up and do it as a group of people, not a club. We'll of course get a sponsor and fill out the paperwork, but we'll start it while the paperwork is processed." Harry said. He knew what Dumbledore was trying to do.

"Very well. I see you are adamant about this. Please tell the teacher who becomes your sponsor to come to me." Dumbledore said trying to trap Harry again.

"Sir, we don't want to waste a teacher's time. We'll tell you ourselves. Besides, it is nice talking to you." Harry said evading Dumbledore's tricks once again.

"All right, Harry. Here is a pass so you don't get in trouble with the curfew. Good night." Dumbledore said as he wrote out two passes that read, "Curfew Pass. –Dumbledore".

"Good night, sir." Harry and Daphne said together before they left the office and went down the stairs.

They pulled up their listening function on their gauntlets as they walked down the halls towards their suite. They had planted a listening voice of their own.

"GODDAMN, FUCKING ASSHOLES!" Dumbledore shouted over the connection.

Harry and Daphne couldn't hold in their laughter. It was so much fun toying with a man who thought he was the best chess master of all time, especially when that man had wronged Harry so many times in so many ways.

When they arrived in their suite, they changed into a gift they had earned from the Grey Assassins. They both put on an all gray outfit of mixed grays. The outfit consisted of shoes that fit perfectly to their feet and were perfect for running but still remained silent. There were pants that hugged tightly to their legs but wasn't constricting in any way. A long sleeve shirt and a cloak with a cowl finished off the outfit. The sleeves were loose enough to hold hidden weapons but weren't hanging off of them. All throughout the ensemble, only a wearer could find the pockets that were on the inside and outside of the outfit. Standing still or walking with the cowl over their heads, Harry and Daphne could not be seen, heard, or smelled. They were officially Grey Assassins.

With a nod to each other, they left their suite and headed to the second floor girl's lavatory. When they arrived inside, Harry locked the door. He heard a moaning from one of the bathroom stalls.

'This is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She died in here. Nobody knows what killed her except that it came from the Chamber of Secrets.' Daphne said to Harry when she sensed his confusion.

'Thanks. I don't know how to get into the Chamber. All I know is its here somewhere.' Harry responded.

'Ask Hogwarts.' Daphne suggested. 'We're not in a hurry.'

Harry nodded his head and focused.

'Harry, what can I do for you?' Hogwarts asked humbly.

'You knew the founders, yes?' Harry asked.

'Of course, why do you ask?' Hogwarts responded.

'I need to get into the Chamber of Secrets. Can you help me?' Harry asked.

'Go into the second stall on the left. There will be a snake inscribed on the handle to tell that it is. Since you are a descendent of Salazar, you should be able to open it by speaking parseltongue.' Hogwarts answered.

'Thank you, Hogwarts. I am going to use each of the founders' secret chambers. I will talk with you soon.' Harry said before leaving the conversation.

Harry then walked over to the stall and opened it. He examined the handle and found the snake.

'Should I say "open sesame"?' Harry joked.

'How about just saying open?' Daphne suggested.

'Why not?' Harry asked before saying, _"Open!"_ in parseltongue.

They were surprised when the toilet slid into the wall and a hole opened up in the middle of the floor of the stall revealing a spiral staircase.

'I guess that was it.' Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders before descending down the stairs. Daphne followed close behind. When they were below the first step, the floor above them closed itself off. Torches lit up the ground below the couple. It took them five minutes to descend the stairs even though they went down at an almost run. When they finally touched the stone floor, they saw a passageway. They followed it out into a large chamber with rocks littering the floor. Stalagmites protruded up from the ground, and stalactites pierced down from the ceiling. What caught their attention, though, was a huge snake skin that must have been sixty feet long and ten feet in diameter.

'A huge snake is the monster?' Daphne asked.

'No… it's a basilisk.' Harry said slowly in realization.

'If I remember correctly, there were reports of people looking a basilisk in the eyes and living. Everybody thought them to be false. Let's hope not.' Daphne said.

Harry and Daphne then proceeded through the cave-like chamber and into another one. It was different as it was a wide polished stone path with water on both sides of it. Snakehead statues lined the path. At the end the path, there was a huge head of what had to be Salazar. Tunnels lead off of both sides of the path. When they walked up to the statue, Harry felt an odd sensation inside him and suddenly he said, _'Beast of Slytherin, your first master's sole heir calls upon you. I am your new master. Serve me.'_

There was a rumbling in the chamber and the statue's mouth opened wide.

A huge basilisk slid out from the opening and coiled itself up so its head was high in the air. I then bowed and hissed in a masculine voice, _"I acknowledge your call supposed heir of Slytherin."_

_"Supposed heir? I assure you that he is an ancestor of mine for I am Lord Hogwarts from all four of the founders." _Harry responded.

_"Oh? Forgive me, master. Many years ago I was called on by a boy, older than you, named Tom Riddle. He claimed to be a descendant of Salazar as well, but the basin found him to be unworthy." The basilisk hissed._

_"The basin?" _Daphne asked. She had developed the ability to speak parseltongue through their soul bond.

_"Look." _It hissed before a black, polished stone basin rose from the ground. Harry walked over to it in a trance. Strangely, he knew what to do. Harry hissed for Zeus to come out. He then whispered something unintelligible to him. Suddenly, Zeus struck out and bit Harry's palm drawing blood from the wound.

"Harry!" Daphne gasped as she started to run over to him but was blocked by the basilisk.

_"It is necessary. Look." _It hissed. Daphne nodded and looked over to Harry. Blood and poison was dripping into the basin turning the stone turning yellow and red. It mixed together, and the basin went back into the floor. There was a flash on Harry's arm and the fang marks disappeared.

_"You speak the truth. I am yours to command, master." _The king of snakes hissed.

_"I appreciate that king of serpents, but please call me Harry. What is yours?" _Harry hissed back.

_"My name is _Deus Serpentium_, Harry." _It answered.

_"Is it all right that we call you Deus?" _Harry asked.

"_Yes. What are your names?" _Deus said.

"_My name is Harry, and this is my soul mate, Daphne." _Harry answered.

"_Ah, I have heard of you two. You are the ones that defy Dumbledore in secret." _Deus said.

_"How do you know that, Deus?" _Harry asked.

_"We are underneath the school, but I can still hear the goings on through the pipes. It allows me to stay informed." _It explained.

_"Will you be staying here from now on?" _Deus asked.

_"How can we? This place does not look very hospitable for people of our race." _Harry asked.

_"Say 'reveal yourself, home of the greatest of snakes,' sit back, and watch."_ Deus said.

_"Reveal yourself, home of the greatest of snakes!"_ Harry shouted. He was then amazed at what happened next.

On both sides of the head of Salazar, the stone sank back into the floor and wall revealing dual staircases leading up to the top of the head, which smoothed itself out. On the visible part of the wall behind Salazar's head, the wall sank into the ground revealing a fire-like glow coming from what looked like an entrance to a cave.

_"__Salazar_ spent much of his time here. There is a potion, training, armoury, study, office, library, kitchen, dining, and a master bed and ten guest bedrooms, each of which has their own bathroom. My chambers are below these rooms and can be accesses through a stairway." Deus explained.

_"I thank you Deus, and I apologize to you as well. I am sorry that you have only heard life but haven't experienced it because of my ancestor, and I also am sorry because I cannot stay here for now." _Harry said sincerely.

_"__We_ promise to be here at least once a day, though, and we can try to get you a mate." Daphne added in.

_"__There_ is no reason for you to be here alone no longer. I promise that you will never have to worry about that again." Harry finished.

_"__I accept_ your apology, and I thank you as well. No one has cared so much for a dark creature like me." Deus said passionately.

_"You aren't dark, Deus. You are grey just like us." _Harry explained. _"Now Daphne and I have to go. We'll see you tomorrow after last class." _Harry said.

_"Good-bye, Harry. Good-bye, Daphne. Have a good night. I will try to alert you if I hear something through the pipes."_ Deus said before he slithered into his chambers.

Harry and Daphne then quickly left the Chamber of Secrets and went back to their suite. The only point of interest was when they walked past McGonagall without her noticing them. Their outfits worked very well. When they arrived back in their suite, Harry and Daphne changed into their pajamas and went to bed.

As soon as his and her head touched the pillows, Harry and Daphne were fast asleep, although, Harry and Daphne shifted into more comfortable positions in their unconscious states. They moved closer together.

The next morning, everyone met up in front of the Great Hall before they went out to train. It was metaphorically murder for the new members, but they didn't complain… much.

"So, are we going to meet next week same time, same place?" Justin asked when they headed inside.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins laughed very hard at this.

"What?" Hannah asked confused.

"We meet every day same time, same place." Harry said partially quoting Justin with a light chuckle.

The Hufflepuffs eyes opened wide at this.

"You're not joking?" Ernest asked.

"Nope. Now, go get changed, get your books, and meet us in the Great Hall. You got to eat healthy now too. Don't worry you can still have sweets, just not a lot." Harry said when he saw the shocked look from his newest members.

Everyone dispersed after Harry finished, though.

At noon, when they normally trained, Harry and Daphne led their friends and Severus into the Chamber of Secrets. They found every room Deus had described, and they were utterly magnificent. Each of the rooms was lined with the most expensive of materials and was very high quality.

When they saw the training room, Severus had half said, half asked, "This is our new training room if that's okay with you, Harry?"

"Yeah, of course." Harry had responded nonchalantly.

The training room was like their other one but this one looked like it was mixed with their combat room.

"Just when I think you can't do it anymore, you manage it." Draco had said in awe.

"What?" Harry had asked.

"You keep surprising me." Draco had answered. Everyone else had nodded his or her head in agreement, including Severus.

"Get used to it."

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long but I have lost almost all of my free time, and this chapter is much longer than any of my others. It is 8437 words. As always keep reading, review, recommend, or if you have, give me a suggestion for this story. I promise I'll take it under consideration, and if I use it you will receive credit for your contribution. Speaking of that, I want to thank serialkeller for her idea with turning Hermione around Halloween. Thanks for also being such a great support. _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	14. Mission One? Done!

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

**AN: I decided this would be the first story in a trilogy. I've been contemplating the idea for a while, and I finally decided to accomplish it. If anyone wants to know the details on why, PM me. Be warned, though, I will withhold some info to keep the story surprising (don't want to ruin the whole thing, now do I?). Now here's my new chapter.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Communication Through the Mind or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

_**The Grey Assassins:** _

**Chapter 14**

It was about two weeks since the Hufflepuffs had been recruited, and they were already joining the others on their first mission.

Spells, explosions, and gunfire shattered the air, sending dirt and debris everywhere. It was utter chaos.

"Keep it up! Don't let them breathe!" Harry shouted.

"Yeah, yeah! Don't get your knickers in a twist!" Draco shouted back.

"Will you two just shut up?" Tracey scolded.

Harry and Draco looked at each other from across the valley and grinned before shouting back, "No!"

The Grey Assassins were in a canyon. A river separated the gorge into two spots. The valley was the entrance to the rest of the depression, which rested between two rows of mountains. The goal was to clear out a base on the other side of the canyon, which was unreachable by any other way. Needless to say, the defenders had the environmental advantage.

The defending wizards, though, had no clue who they were dealing with because of the streaks of what appeared to be metal was flying through the air and toppling their friends.

The Hogwarts students were in three groups. Harry led Blaise, Seamus, and Hermione. Daphne led Tracey, Dean, Ernest, and Justin while Draco led Susan, Neville, and Hannah. Daphne and her group were in the middle of the valley while Harry's group and Draco's group were on her and her group's left and right, respectively.

"Remind me again, what is so important about this place?" Blaise asked Harry as he dodged behind the boulder they were crouching behind.

"The Elders didn't tell me! All they said was to ransack the base for supplies, info, weapons, and the like!" Harry said before he sent a wide but constant range of explosive spells at their adversaries.

'Daphne, put extra pressure on them! I'm going to have the rest of us swing around and attack them from the sides, okay?' Harry asked.

'Okay. I'll signal Draco. You going invisible?' Daphne said quickly.

'Of course.' Harry grinned.

Then, Harry explained the plan to his team. When everyone went invisible, Daphne gave the signal.

All five people in Daphne's group dressed in their Order robes jumped up and sent a hail of spells, bullets, and lasers at the enemy. As soon as that started everyone else broke from cover and ran in a semi-circle, so they ended up beside and behind the row of boulders the wizards were using as cover. Harry made a wide arc with his hand.

For a second everything remained normal, well as normal as this battle was. Then the wizards were gone in an electric explosion.

"Let's go!" Harry shouted in a distorted voice; a feature about their hoods that the Assassins had long cherished.

Daphne and her group met up with the others before everyone suddenly became a blur of light in the midday sun. They traveled through the canyon slashing their opponents down in one swoop with their swords. Finally, they arrived outside the doors of the base.

"Kill everyone. The Elders ordered us to leave no witnesses." Harry said with a slight tone of sadness in his voice. Everyone nodded their understanding, though.

Seamus went up to the enormous hangar bay doors and set up a row of explosives. He walked back to the group, turned, and hit a lit red button on his gauntlet, obliterating the former obstacle.

"You know the doors could have been left unlocked?" Harry joked.

"Eh, who cares?" Seamus shrugged.

"You just love using explosives." Harry replied before leading everyone inside. Behind him, Seamus held a wide grin on his covered face.

The inside of the hangar held five rows of floating brooms with twenty brooms in a row. Wizards inside were running around trying to abandon the base. Others, though, were running toward the intruders. They already had their wands at the ready.

Harry looked to his left and then his right. Seamus and Blaise stepped forward with experimental MG36s in their arms. A second later, 5.56 by 45mm rounds were flying at 920 meters per second toward the would-be-attackers, stopping them dead in their tracks. Blaise and Seamus then reloaded the 100 round magazines and turned the weapons on the other occupants of the hangar. Harry nodded, and a minute later the Assassins were the only living things left inside the hangar.

"Get the crates, sabotage the brooms, and search the dead for anything useful." Harry said to Blaise and Seamus who had put up their guns. "We'll clear the rest of the base."

"We'll handle it." Blaise responded before heading over to the brooms. Seamus nodded and headed toward a pile of crates. Everyone else followed Harry out of the bay.

The group of eleven traveled through the halls of the base eliminating everyone they found. Besides personal quarters the building only held a command center and a cargo bay. Harry had Hannah and Susan download the information from the former while everyone else ransacked the latter.

"Damn! You think that they would have said, 'hey, maybe we have enough quidditch memorabilia, but no! They kept collecting! Bigots!" Justin complained.

"What are you so sore about?" Susan asked. She and Hannah had returned from the command center. There was nothing of use at all.

"He just thinks that our first mission would have been more productive." Ernest said before grinning and continuing, "And he hasn't started his essay for Transfiguration."

"Justin, we got that assignment two weeks ago!" Hermione said with an appalled look on her face.

"Hey, I thought I would have time in between training!" Justin defended himself.

"The Order comes first. You always back up your brothers and sisters." Harry commented.

"Okay, okay! I get it! I messed up! Can we move on?" Justin asked desperately.

Everyone nodded his or her head in agreement, although Hermione still looked shocked.

"But, uh, could somebody help me with it?" Justin asked in a small, timid voice.

Everyone busted out laughing, all except for Hermione.

"I will, Justin." She said, obviously happy over doing schoolwork. "But I will not do it for you. I will just help."

"Thanks, Hermione. Oh, will you all shut up!" Justin said turning towards the others.

"All right, everyone. We should stop. I think he's had enough. I mean his face is redder than a tomato!" Harry said seriously at first but laughed out the last line. Everyone else was close behind, for Justin's face became even redder than before.

The laughter lasted a minute before finally ceasing.

"You done now?" Justin asked, pissed off.

"Yeah. I'm sorry; I couldn't help it." Harry answered.

"Uh, guys? I think I found something!" Neville shouted from the other side of the bay. Everyone rushed over.

"What'd you find, Neville?" Harry asked.

"Books, and they look ancient." Neville answered before moving aside the top of the crate. "I noticed the crate looked different from almost every other one, so I tried it."

"Nice job, Neville. Load them up, and keep looking inside these crates. Everybody look for these crates, but ransack everything here. The Elders will want the quidditch memorabilia." Harry said.

"Why would they want this shit?" Draco asked.

"They'll sell it to fuel the Order. More money equals more resources which equals a more effective Order." Harry said simply.

Everyone nodded and went back to where they were previously. This time, though, they made a more effective process. Open the crate, look inside, and move the crate into a pile of other crates filled with useful items or into another pile of crates filled with quidditch stuff. Fifteen minutes after everyone restarted their efforts, all of the cargo crates were sorted. With them sorted, each pile was put into a huge crate that held all of the crates while leaving no room for the crates to move even a centimeter. Harry then shrunk the crates to have them the size of dice. Everyone then quickly ran out of the bay and into the hangar.

"You guys find anything interesting?" Blaise asked as he saw the others enter the hangar.

"Ancient spell books, swords, and other wizarding tech. You?" Draco replied.

"The crates were filled with that kind of stuff, the bodies held wands and other personal objects but nothing of worth or useful." Seamus answered before Justin pushed past him grumbling.

"Then let's get out of here. You sabotage everything?" Harry said as he started to walk out of the entrance they created earlier. He noticed, though, that Seamus wasn't moving.

"You okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, but why is Justin grumbling about quidditch?" Seamus asked.

"Oh, he's sore over not finding mostly quidditch memorabilia and not something fascinating." Harry answered.

"Okay." Seamus said, still slightly confused, but walking.

"So you sabotage everything?" Harry asked again.

"Yeah. I set up C4 on all of the brooms and all around the hangar." Seamus replied.

"Good. Send me the trigger frequency." Harry said stopping a far way outside of the base. Everyone else stepped behind him while turning to face the building.

"There you go. She's all yours." Seamus said after hitting a couple buttons on a holographic screen projected from his gauntlet.

"Thanks." Harry said before hitting a lit red button on his gauntlet triggering the explosives.

The inferno swallowed up the whole building and forced each outer wall to burst forward in crumbles causing the roof to collapse on to the rest of the building.

"Whoa! I think I over did it on the C4!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Nope. I set up some of my own around the whole building." Harry replied simply before apparating back to HQ with his friends close behind him.

"All right, everyone go get changed and meet me here in a half hour. We have to get back to school. We still have another mission to complete." Harry said quickly before walking swiftly out of the transport room. Everyone else followed his example and headed to their rooms. Harry, though, wasn't going to change at that moment and went to meet with the Elders. As soon as he arrived at the doors, he pushed his way inside and removed his hood.

"Welcome back, Harry. I take it everything was successful?" Edward asked ignoring Harry's quick entry.

"Yes, Edward. We eliminated everyone, and found many crates filled with objects. Most were filled with quidditch memorabilia or money, but others were filled with ancient books and the like." Harry said quickly before pulling out the crates, putting them on the floor, and enlarging them. "There you go."

"Great work, Harry. Now before you go get changed, we need to speak with you." Edward said.

Harry nodded for him to continue.

"We want you to know we added in the database. Also, we need you to recruit the Ravenclaws this week and investigate the founders' secret chambers as well as Dumbledore's office. Plant a bug in the last." Edward said quickly but clearly.

"Will do, Edward. Anything else?" Harry replied.

"Nope. Although, I speak for all of the council when I say that we wish to spend some time with you and Daphne soon." Edward said with a grin at the end.

"We will see if we can find the time." Harry responded while turning red. "For now, though, I will see you when we bring in the Claws."

The Elders said their goodbyes to Harry before he left. They noted that his gait was an almost run.

Harry arrived back to his and Daphne's chambers five minutes later. Quickly, he took off his clothes, showered, dressed again, and packed away all of his things.

'Daphne must be waiting with the others in the transport room.' Harry thought as he left the room, and hurried over to meet the others.

"Hey, Harry." Draco said. "Why is your face red?"

"It's red? Huh, I didn't realize." Harry replied nonchalantly. "Now before we go, let me relay what the Elders told me." He said in a stricter voice.

After a nod from everyone, he continued, "They want us to bug Dumbledore's office and recruit the Ravens this week. We'll try this Wednesday, but let's first continue to research them."

"Okay, now let's get back to school before anyone notices." Draco said. It was Saturday.

Everyone nodded and apparated into the Chamber of Secrets. It was a benefit of being or knowing the descendant of all four founders.

"_Welcome home, Harry." _Deus hissed as he slithered over to the Orderians.

"_Thank you, Deus. Did anything of note happen while we were gone?" _Harry asked.

"_The only thing I believe that you should know is that Dumbledore planted a mirror in a room nearby the library and left the castle." _Deus replied.

"_Did he leave the grounds?" _Harry questioned.

"_I apologize, Harry, for I do not know. I suggest you talk to Hogwarts for that." _Deus answered.

"_Thank you, Deus. Did anything else happen?" _Harry said.

"_Nothing of importance, Harry. Do you need anything else from me or will you be leaving for now?" _Deus asked.

"_I am fine, Deus, but I should tell you that I have purchased a chicken egg and a toad and have researched the spells Salazar used on you as well as how to ensure the basilisk will be a girl and how to speed up the maturing process." _Harry said with a smile.

"_Thank you, Harry! That is one of if not the greatest gift ever given to me! I will ensure that I prove that I am worthy of such a gift." _Deus said with what could have been a smile.

"_Do not worry about that, Deus. You prove your worthiness every day with your loyalty. I am afraid, though, that I must go now. We still have an enemy on our soil that we must deceive." _Harry said.

"_Of course. The old bastard will pay for his treachery, but I understand the need to wait. Until we meet again, Harry." _Deus said before slithering back to its chambers.

"Would you mind filling us in?" Neville asked.

"I'll tell you guys later, but for now let's unpack. When you're done meet me in the library." Harry said before heading towards the stairs.

"Why the library?" Susan asked. "The room of requirement would be more secure."

"Yes, but that would still create some suspicion on our location." Harry said before chuckling. Everyone also heard Daphne chuckle as well.

"What's so funny?" Ernest asked.

"We also have to help Justin with his homework." He said before he and Daphne apparated into their suite.

"Sometimes… I really don't like that guy… Not all the time… but sometimes." Justin said in a low voice as everyone around him laughed while leaving the Chamber of Secrets.

Twenty minutes later, the Orderians were far back in the library talking.

"So, we all understand the plan?" Harry asked.

A chorus of "yes" made Harry smile.

"So what did Deus have to say?" Neville asked.

"He said Dumbledore planted a mirror in a chamber near the library and left the castle itself for a little bit. He said that he might have stayed on the grounds but he doesn't know. The pipes don't reach out to there." Harry explained.

"You want us to find out?" Hannah asked.

"That won't be necessary. Harry's going to ask Hogwarts about it, but if Dumbledore wasn't on the grounds we'll call in the mercenaries to look into it." Daphne added in.

"All right, so what can we work on right now, besides Justin's essay?" Blaise asked.

"What? You mean you don't want to save him from his procrastination?" Draco asked with mock appall.

"I already hated doing it the first time, and I think sub-par classes are second to Order matters." Blaise replied.

"He's right." Neville said. "That essay was horrible."

"Okay guys, maybe we should stop." Ernest said.

"Ernest's right. Justin has learned his lesson I believe." Harry added.

"Thanks, so can somebody go help me start on it?" Justin asked.

Hermione literally jumped out of her seat while saying, "I'll help!"

"You two can go after we discuss how we're going to bug Dumbledore's office." Harry said.

"And recruit the Ravenclaws. Don't forget about them." Hannah added in.

"Yeah, but that will happen Wednesday, so how about we put that off for say, tomorrow?" Justin asked.

"Okay, but I will say that we each need to start befriending all of the first year Ravens. It would be worthwhile to have people to add in as maybe scientists or strategists as well as regular members." Harry agreed. Everyone nodded his or her head in agreement.

"So how are we going to pull off bugging Dumbledore's office? Are we going to do a midnight operation?" Draco asked excitedly. He loved covert ops.

"No, I was thinking of something better." Harry grinned.

"What could that possibly be better than a covert operation?" Draco asked intrigued at what could be better.

Harry then lent over to him and whispered something in his ear. Draco smiled and said, "Oh, that is perfect!"

"Right? I'll meet with you tonight to discuss the details." Harry said.

"What?" Neville asked.

"You don't want to know." Daphne said while shaking her head. "Trust me. These two will be getting in trouble, and it is better that nobody besides them is involved."

"Oh, that'll make it even more fun!" Draco said like a child on Christmas.

"Okay, whatever. Is that everything for now?" Justin asked.

"Yeah. Go work on your essay, lovebirds." Harry joked.

"What?" Justin asked.

"Oh, we all know that the reason you procrastinated was to spend time with Hermione." Harry joked.

"Hey, I'm not the one who is soul-bonded and betrothed!" Justin exclaimed.

"Oh will you two grow up?" Tracey asked.

"Sorry." Harry and Justin said before Justin left the table with Hermione, his face red.

"What exactly is wrong with being in love?" Daphne asked with a tone of annoyance permeating her voice.

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong with it! I was just giving him a hard time!" Harry said trying to calm his soul mate.

"Uh-oh! Mate, you are in trouble!" Draco said.

"Draco shut up before I exclude you from the plan to bug Dumbledore's office." Harry threatened.

"I'll stop, mate." Draco replied, apologetically and politely, while the whole table excluding the trio of Harry, Daphne, and Draco laughed.

"Guys let's leave them alone besides, Harry is already going to get enough from Daphne." Tracey interjected.

"Thanks, Tracey." Harry said.

"Hey, I'm not saving you from her, just saving you from them." Tracey replied.

"Still, thank you." Harry said.

"Don't mention it." Tracey replied.

"She's right you know. You're still in trouble." Daphne said.

"Daphne, I was just kidding around. I love you, and you know that I would happily tell every living thing on Earth. You know that without reading my mind." Harry said sincerely apologetic.

"Okay, I forgive you, but please don't say anything like that again if you unless we need it to help us while we're undercover." Daphne replied. Having a connection between their minds ensured that neither could stay mad at the other for longer than a minute.

"Okay you two, don't start kissing. We get that you guys are good, but please don't." Ernest interjected.

Harry and Daphne both blushed and said simultaneously, "Sorry."

"And there they go speaking at the same time." Draco sighed.

"Oh, shut up." Harry said.

"You guys want to head over to dinner now?" Seamus asked.

"I can eat." Blaise commented. Everyone else replied along the same lines before grabbing Justin and Hermione and heading down to the Great Hall.

Halfway through their dinners, Professor McGonagall came up to them.

"Excuse me, children, but I wish for all of you to meet me in my office after you finish your dinners. I have something to discuss with you that I believe needs to stay private." She said while looking over the table to make sure nobody was listening in. Thankfully, no one was.

"We'll be right over, professor." Daphne said kindly.

McGonagall nodded and walked away.

"I guess we're not going to check out the mirror tonight, huh?" Neville asked.

"Yeah. We'll check it out in a couple of days. I'll talk to Hogwarts tonight before I go to sleep and inform you guys tomorrow." Harry responded.

"Wait, when are we going to discuss the plan?" Draco asked.

Harry thought for a few seconds.

'You okay with what I'm thinking, Daphne?' Harry asked over their mind link.

'Yeah. It'll be great to see Dumbledore's face when he finds out.' Daphne replied.

"Draco, head back to your room after we visit McGonagall. Then wait for everyone in your dorm to fall asleep before coming over to our suite. Make sure to stay invisible." Harry instructed.

"All right!" Draco responded with a grin. With that last comment, everyone went back to their food and finished exactly one minute and twenty-four seconds later.

"Let's go." Harry said when he saw their plates disappear.

Everyone nodded and rose.

"Where do you think you're going, you dirty snakes?" Ronald spat with venom. He was always forced to sit close by them at mealtime. To stop him from finding out anything, the Orderians would keep their conversations vague or normal, or they would cast up a ward that would make it appear as if they were talking about something normal.

"Hello, Ronald. It is always a vile displeasure to talk with you. As for where my friends and I are going, Professor McGonagall requested our presence in her office as soon as we finished our supper. As your otherwise blind eyes can see, we are done. Does that satisfy your obnoxious nosiness?" Harry asked in a polite but cold voice.

"I'm not blind, you Death Eater!" Ronald almost shouted. The group had moved to be by the wall that lead to the entrance hall.

"Yes, you are. You are blind to the truth, and you forget that my parents were killed by Voldemort." Harry countered, still polite even though the crowd including Ronald gasped in shock.

"And what is the truth, if I may so ask?" Ronald asked mockingly.

"That a snake is not evil, just misunderstood, that not all Slytherins are evil, and that a person's house does not determine whether they are evil or not. Their actions do." Harry retorted, his polite tone gone and replaced with conviction. By now, a small crowd of the entire first, second, and third year classes from each house had gathered.

"Look, Ronald, I know I acted a bit like a pompous arse at the beginning of the year, and I sincerely apologize for that. But I have changed since then and I am getting tired of your lip. You do not know it, but you are _very_ lucky." Draco interjected.

"Why don't I believe you, Malfoy?" Ronald asked sarcastically.

"You know what, Ronald, ever since I met you have been nothing but a pain in my arse! You're an arrogant, selfish, egotistical, and overly jealous prick! You are even worse than Draco was at the beginning of the year! And your table manners! Ha! They're a cruel joke on us!" Daphne interjected, fed up with Ronald's attitude and tired of seeing her friends being bullied.

"Oh shut it, you dirty whore!" Ronald shouted. The girls then had to hold Daphne and the other boys, excluding Harry, back from beating Ronald up within an inch of his life right then and there. Harry, though, was barely holding a raging tornado/inferno inside himself at bay. Despite this, however, he stepped up into Ronald's face and looked him dead in the eyes. His eyes filled with barely contained rage.

"No, you shut it Ronald before I lose my patience, let my friends kick your arse, and jump in myself!" Harry spat, venom and malice dripping from his cold voice.

Now, a normal person, as demonstrated by the crowd gathered around the Orderians and Ronald, would have cowered or at least backed up a step. Ronald, though, was too stupid and hardheaded for that.

"Oh did I hurt your little feelings?" Ronald mocked in a baby voice.

"Draco, it seems like we might have to have our plan have two stages. This being phase one," Harry whispered, "That okay with you?"

"Fine by me. I'm ready to kick some serious arse from here to high heaven." Draco whispered back.

"Okay Ronald, you've done it. Everybody go see McGonagall while Draco and I teach this pig a lesson in manners and when to be silent." Harry said to his close friends before addressing the crowd surrounding him, "No one insults my friends like that no matter who they are, so if I were you, I would back up a good ten meters."

"What are you afraid that I can beat you if you're by yourself? Whenever I see you, you're with one of your friends or a teacher. I think you're scared of me!" Ronald said.

"Draco, I am afraid that I am going to have to deny you the privilege of beating the shite out of him. As much as I don't have anything to prove to him, I believe that I need to show what happens when someone insults me, my bravery, my fighting skills, and most of all my soul mate!" Harry, furious, said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Draco grinned and said, "By that look in your eyes, I can tell that you need this more than me. Go show him what happens when someone messes with us once too often!"

Daphne then walked up, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, "Try not to kill him. It would be terrible if you were no longer enrolled here." She then left a grinning Harry and led the others to McGonagall's office.

As soon as the Orderians left the circle, the crowd filled back into their original spots.

"So are we going to do this or not, snake?" Ronald asked.

Harry grinned and shed his robes leaving on his uniform. Harry then rolled up his sleeves and undid his tie, throwing the latter on the floor along with his robes. He then unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt.

With Harry's arms and chest partially revealed, the crowd could see he had three tattoos: a king cobra poised to strike, a wolf howling up, and a dragon as if it was in mid-flight. The dragon was on his chest and the other two were on his right and left arm respectively.

Then, suddenly, the tattoos came to life and floated off his skin and formed Rex, Umbra, and Zeus.

"What…?" Ronald trailed off.

"My familiars can mold onto my skin. I wanted to eliminate any question of cheating by having them off of me. Now are we going to do this or not?" Harry asked calmly.

"Yeah. Or are you too much of a coward?" Ronald mocked.

"Shut up and fight." Harry said calmly but authoritatively.

Ronald then screamed what could be guessed as what was meant to be a war cry and charged at Harry.

'_It'd be too easy,' _Harry thought quickly while Ronald charged, _'I'll hold back.'_

Harry then sidestepped Ronald's tackle, turned around and kicked him in the back, sending Ronald sprawled out on the floor.

"Coward! You couldn't even handle me! You had to sidestep!" Ronald laughed.

"I thought this was a real fight; not some fake, macho bullshit fight." Harry commented.

Ronald again charged Harry, and this time he humoured Ronald and tackled him. He ducked at the second to last second and then jumped up with all his strength at the last second, causing Ronald to go up into the air before being wrestled onto the ground. From there, Harry then delivered a series of punches to Ronald's body before swinging himself around and locking Ronald's head between Harry's crossed legs.

"Yield!" Harry commanded. "There is no escape!"

"Never, fake lion!" Ronald shouted back.

"Very well, swine." Harry then released Ronald before jumping up and back.

"Ha! You knew your legs would give out, so you tried having me give up instead!" Ronald grinned as he stood up.

"You truly are a deluded, self-assured arse." Harry commented before closing the distance between he and Ronald. He then slid his right leg and foot back, so his chest faced the right. And tilted his foot so it was facing his right. Meanwhile, he raised his hands in front and to the side of his face with his palms still open.

All of this took place within three seconds. It would have been quicker, but Harry didn't want to show his true skill to this puppet and his puppeteer.

"What-?" Ronald began before being punched in the mouth by Harry's left fist, but when Ronald looked at Harry again, it appeared as if he hadn't moved.

"You give up now?" Harry said with a cold fury that was waiting to burst.

"That was a lucky-" Ronald was once more punched in the face, this time with his right fist. Harry, though, didn't stop there. He followed up with a left hook and then a right uppercut. Ronald fell on the floor but was still conscious after that nasty uppercut. Harry, though, didn't stop even though he was holding back his power. He walked up and smashed his left foot onto Ronald's left hand. He didn't break it, but it was pretty damn close to fracturing. Harry then turned and used his right leg to kick Ronald hard in his left obliques (side).

"You yield now?" Harry asked.

Although the look in Harry's eyes screamed encouragement, Ronald looked up and stuttered, "I-I-I yield."

"You are lucky I didn't go full out on you. That was only a small part of what I know. Keep that in mind the next time you think of bothering or insulting my friends again because next time I will put you in the Hospital Wing for at least a week." Harry spat venom.

'Umbra, Zeus, Rex.' Harry called before they leapt back into his skin. He noticed that Fred and George Weasley were helping Ronald up and away. Harry caught their eyes and nodded as he redressed. Harry was delightfully surprised to have the action reciprocated. He never did look into the possibility of having them in the new Order. Harry dismissed the thought, though, for now and returned his clothes to their original positions.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore shouted as the crowd dispersed. Harry noted a prefect was following the professor. Oddly, it wasn't Percy.

"Yes, headmaster?" Harry asked politely.

"In my office, now!" Dumbledore shouted before turning around and starting to walk away.

"Yes, sir." Harry said as he began to follow the thief's retreating form.

'So, it is working?' Daphne asked.

'Yep. I have to go now. I will see you after I get out.' Harry said.

'Don't give him too much hell… yet. We need to still have our aces up our sleeves.' Daphne replied.

'I know. I'll see you soon.' Harry responded.

'Good bye.'

As anticipated, Dumbledore led the prefect and Harry to his office.

"You may go." Dumbledore said to the prefect before he left.

"So what is this about, headmaster?" Harry asked.

"You know perfectly well what this is about, Mr. Potter. You attacked Mr. Weasley and hurt him severely." Dumbledore said without his normal grandfatherly tone.

Harry chuckled and said, "If that is your definition of severely injured is, I would hate to hear what you call a murder."

"I am glad that this is a joke to you. Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley is in the Hospital Wing and being attended to by Madam Pomfrey as we speak." Dumbledore said, shocked at Harry's attitude.

"He's in the Hospital Wing? And wait; did you say that I attacked him? You, headmaster, are terribly mistaken. He was begging for a fight and I gave it to him. He's been an arrogant jerk as long as I've known him and that is phrasing it nicely. As for the damage I inflicted, I know how hard I hit him. None of those punches would give anyone his age a concussion or even so much as a fracture. The most I did was bruise him." Harry argued.

"Be that as it may, you did still hurt him more than he hurt you." Dumbledore responded, calming down.

"So, he is going to get no punishment for starting a fight with words and fists? Are you kidding me? You do not know half of the shite he has pulled on Daphne, my friends, and me. I don't know about this place, but from what I've heard school is supposed to teach us and prepare us for the real world. And in the _real _world when someone does what he does and then starts a fight, that guy is asking for a beating from the person or people that he has repeatedly insulted and offended. So, in the real world when something like this happens, the person who is in my position does not receive nearly as much shite as the other guy." Harry argued with a fiery passion.

"Excuse me for a moment." Dumbledore said before leaving his office to calm himself down again.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Harry shot, from his gauntlet hidden underneath his robes, listening and video recording devices all over the room. Once satisfied, Harry grinned on the inside and decided to look around the room more closely while staying in his chair.

Harry noticed Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes he remembered from his initial briefing. There was something odd about his energy, though. Harry had felt phoenixes' magical signatures but this one was different.

Before Harry could contemplate any further on this curiosity, Dumbledore returned.

"Harry, I am sorry for what Ronald has done to you and your friends, but you could have just come to one of your professors such as myself." Dumbledore said; his grandfatherly voice back.

'_Yeah, and I would never remember what he did. The same thing if I told another professor because it will always circle back to you, you bastard.' _Harry thought.

"So am I in trouble or free to leave?" Harry asked.

"What is the rush?" Dumbledore asked back.

"Before Ronald started abusing my friends and me with his words, Professor McGonagall wanted to see my friends and I in her office as soon as we finished our suppers." Harry replied, still waiting on an answer. "So may I go?"

"You may go but not immediately. We still need to discuss your punishment." Dumbledore stated.

"Let me guess… detention with Professor Snape." Harry sighed. He really was quite deceptive at times.

"What is wrong with the potions master? From what I hear, you show great strength in potions." Dumbledore replied.

"He hates me." Harry said simply.

"No, he does not Harry. If you wish, though, to be placed somewhere else for detention, I will oblige." Dumbledore responded after a second of thought.

"Thank you, headmaster." Harry said, visibly brightening up. On the inside, however, Harry was screaming, "NO! Don't do that!"

"You are very welcome, Harry. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, you will have detention with Professor Flitwick. Good night." Dumbledore said while he got up and escorted Harry out. "I would recommend to talk with Professor McGonagall tomorrow as it is almost curfew."

"Yes, sir. I will talk to her after class. Good night." Harry replied before heading off to his suite.

When he opened the door, Daphne immediately hugged him and shut the door.

"I saw what you did. Nice job." She said. "Although, I would have preferred to have been next to you helping teach that prat a lesson."

"Don't worry, Daph. I'll let you take him around the block next time." Harry grinned.

"So Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with Flitwick, huh?" Daphne asked. She had been looking through Harry's eyes as he sat in Dumbledore's office.

"Yeah, but it could give me a chance to start to try to see if we can turn him towards our cause." Harry said. "So what did McGonagall have to say?"

"She said that she wished for all of us to be there as well as you, so we were dismissed." Daphne replied.

"Well, how about we go now?" Harry asked.

"Won't that reveal a part of our identities?" Daphne asked.

"You're right. That would be very hard to explain how we got over without being caught or our cloaks." Harry replied.

"Tomorrow." Daphne began.

"Morning." Harry finished with her.

She nodded.

"So why are you still in your uniform and not your pajamas?" Harry asked after a second of thought.

"Draco is coming, remember?" Daphne half stated, half-asked before there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, yeah." Harry said before answering the door.

"Hey, Harry." Draco, still invisible, said.

"Hey, Draco." Harry replied.

"So how was it?" Draco asked after the door closed and he disillusioned himself.

"What? Dumbledore's office or the fight?" Harry asked with a grin.

"You know damn well which one!" Draco exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. I bugged the place out with video and listening devices. He didn't suspect a thing." Harry said.

"Erg! You know I meant how did the fight go, you prat!" Draco shouted.

"Ahem. Regina is sleeping." Daphne interrupted.

"Sorry." Draco apologized sheepishly.

"All right. Let's stop focusing on the past and start planning out the prank." Harry said.

"Okay!" Draco said excitedly.

For the next half hour, Harry and Draco discussed, modified, and finalized their plan.

"So we're clear on it, right?" Harry asked.

"Yep. I'll get everything together and meet you in your office on Tuesday morning instead of exercising." Draco said as he stood up.

"Cool. By the way, let everyone else know that we need to meet McGonagall tomorrow morning in her office to hear what she has to say. Meet where we usually do, though. I don't trust Dumbledore." Harry replied, standing up with Draco.

"Will do. I'll see you in the morning." Draco said as he activated his gauntlet at the door.

"Good night." Harry responded before closing the door behind Draco.

Harry then dressed in his pajamas and went to bed. Daphne was already asleep along with their familiars.

The next morning, Harry and Daphne woke up at the usual time and woke and fed their familiars before dressing and getting ready for the day. When they finished, their familiars molded into their skins as tattoos, and the couple left. Quickly they went downstairs into the  
Entrance Hall where they met the others.

"Morning." Harry said as they walked up.

"I'm glad to have you finally show up." Draco replied.

"What has got you in a sour mood?" Harry asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Draco responded.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at the others; they could only shrug in response.

"He wouldn't tell us either." Blaise said.

"Yeah, and I am not telling any of you. So if I were you, I would let it go." Draco said with authority.

"We'll see, but for now we have to talk to McGonagall. Let's go." Harry said.

"What do you think she has to discuss with us?" Tracey asked.

"Well, it sure isn't about our grades." Justin said with a slight tone of sarcasm.

"Oh, not you too!" Seamus exclaimed. "It's bad enough having a bitchy Draco. I don't think I can take a bitchy Justin as well."

At that comment, the group excluding Draco and Justin laughed.

"I'm not being bitchy!" The two exclaimed simultaneously.

Everyone laughed even harder at this.

Draco and Justin let their friends tire themselves out for a minute before Draco lost his patience.

"You done?" Draco asked.

A chorus of "yes" was his response.

"Thank you." Draco replied before everyone went silent once more as they walked.

"So how did it go last night?" Blaise asked after a few seconds.

"I got it done." Harry answered simply. He didn't want the paintings to reveal anything to Dumbledore.

"No, I meant how was the fight with Ronald?" Blaise asked with a slight chuckle.

"You know, you are the second person to respond like that." Harry laughed.

Everyone laughed a little at this before going silent again.

A few seconds later, the silence was broken again. "So how was it?" Blaise repeated.

"In one word? Awesome." Harry replied. "Just awesome."

Everyone nodded at this and proceeded towards McGonagall's office.

After a few more minutes, they arrived. Before Harry could knock on the door, though, it was opened.

"Hello, children, but what are all of you doing here at this hour?" The professor asked.

"You requested us last night, and when Harry was unable to be present, you said to meet you today at some time. We are always up at this time, exercising, so it wasn't hard to come over." Daphne replied.

"Yes… I heard about the fight between you and Mr. Weasley." McGonagall said turning to Harry.

"I apologize for that, professor. I know there should not be any excuse for my actions, but I think I should say that he was asking for a beating." Harry said slightly sheepishly.

"Oh, he deserved it! I might be a teacher, but I cannot stand that fool. He is even worse than how your father and his friends were. They may have been troublemakers, but at least they weren't the jerks that always get away scot-free and were arrogant jerks!" McGonagall replied.

"Uh…" Harry managed to say which was better than his friends' reactions towards McGonagall's comments. They just stood there totally dumbstruck.

"Oh, do you all think that teachers don't realize these things and that we didn't have to deal with them when we were children your age?" McGonagall asked.

"If I think about it, no, but it still is very surprising." Dean said.

"Well, now you children know. Now please enter my office so we may talk freely. The walls have ears." McGonagall said looking at the sleeping paintings.

The thirteen Orderians complied with McGonagall's request and entered her office. The professor closed the door behind them and summoned chairs for the thirteen students. She then swung around her desk and sat down as the Orderians did as well.

"So as much as I am not much of a gambler, I would bet much money that you all are wondering why I called you here. Am I correct?" McGonagall asked. Everyone nodded in response.

"I know your secret." You could see the tension in the air rise and hang over the Orderians heads like stacks of Grand Pianos.

"And what secret would that be?" Harry asked carefully. All thirteen children were prepared for almost anything in the form of an attack.

"In actuality, I know two." She corrected herself.

"And what secrets would that be?" Harry repeated.

"Who Dumbledore really is." She responded. The tension in the air slightly lessened.

"You know what he had been doing to me and my family?" Harry asked, interested.

"No and yes. I remember in the beginning of the Order that Dumbledore persuaded your parents to give him much money to fund the Order. He always wanted more from him, however, I don't know what he has currently put you through besides placing you with the Dursely's." She answered.

"And what Order would that be?" Harry questioned.

"The Order of the Phoenix. We fought You-Know-Who during the war more effectively than the ministry." McGonagall explained.

Harry nodded. "So what else has Dumbledore done?" Draco curiously asked.

"He has always been a puppeteer with people, manipulating whoever he deems necessary in his game of chess. His other deeds I could not say with certainty." She responded.

"As much as knowing about the headmaster is important, would you mind telling us the second secret, Professor?" Daphne asked, turning the once relaxed atmosphere timid again.

"I know that you thirteen are a part of an organization that is very secretive, so secretive that I, even after years of research, do not know its name. What I do know is that they cause trouble as children in a unique way unlike what everyone thinks are their peers." McGonagall revealed.

"How do you know that an organization such as this exists?" Blaise asked warily.

"I know this because almost every student that has exhibited these traits has at least tried to change the world into a different way of thinking. The others must try to change the world more secretly to this hidden agenda. I've noticed that all thirteen of you had some of these telling characteristics, but after meeting and talking to Harry for some time, you all now have all of these traits. I would not call that a coincidence." McGonagall explained.

If it were not for the wonderful techniques that they had learned about focus, control, and secrecy, the Orderians would have their mouths and eyes wide open in shock. They did have that training, however, so their only reactions were to think quickly.

"What did you mean by calling us here, professor?" Harry asked calmly, leaving her last comment ignored for the time being.

"If you mean that are my actions of good will towards you and your friends, then yes. I do not wish to reveal or harm any of you." She responded intelligently.

"Then what do you wish from this secret organization?" Harry asked carefully.

"It depends… Are you thirteen members of this organization?" She asked in return.

_"What do you guys think? Should we trust her?" _Harry asked.

_"I don't know…" _Draco responded.

_"She hasn't done anything against any of us."_ Hermione said.

_"She might have a point." _Susan agreed.

_"__And_ she did call Dumbledore out on some of his acts of evil." Dean responded.

_"Eh, she could still be lying to gain our trust for that. Even though, it is highly unlikely." _Neville disproved. _"Not to say I am against allying ourselves with her. I'm just being honest."_

_"What do you think, Harry?" _Blaise asked.

_"It is your call, Harry. You are the leader." _Seamus agreed.

_"__Daphne_ and I both agree. We have no choice but to reveal ourselves. We've come this far, and we can't stop now. We're just going to have to be careful of any tricks or such. As for her request, let's hear it first." Harry said. _"That okay with everyone?"_

Harry was answered with a chorus of yes's.

"After much thought, professor. I've come to a decision." Harry said.

"I am all ears." She replied sincerely.

Harry slid his small sword into his hand but kept it covered by his robes before saying, "You guessed correct, professor. We are the newest members of the Grey Order, also known as the Grey Assassins **(AN: hint for the third installment's title****)**."

McGonagall lay back in her chair with a look of wonder on her face and in her eyes. "I can't believe it. You actually exist."

"Yes, we do. Now before I ask my question again, let me tell you something. Any one of us could easily kill you and make it look like it was an accident, kidnapping, or even that you never existed. We might be children, but we are already more dangerous than some of the worst criminals to ever exist in the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds. So I would remain truthful." Harry threatened. "Do we have an understanding?"

McGonagall looked slightly taken aback at this but nodded and said, "We do, Mr. Potter. Now ask away."

"Why did you contact us besides knowing?" Harry asked.

After so many surprises, the Orderians thought there would be no more. They were wrong.

"I want to topple Dumbledore from his seats of power." McGonagall said.

After a second of shock passed over, Harry looked at Tracey and asked, "Is she lying?" with a quirked eyebrow.

Tracey lifted up her arm, and with it her gauntlet, and said, "Nope. She is telling us the truth… no matter how surprising it is."

"I told you I wouldn't lie." The professor commented before turning to Harry. "So what may I ask happens now?"

Harry glanced at his teammates before answering, "For right now? Nothing. I'll meet with our contact here to send the message up. After that, we'll wait for a reply, but I believe that you could pose some use for us."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter." McGonagall said with a tone of sincere gratitude.

"Don't thank me yet. It isn't just my decision. In the meantime, though, this meeting never happened. All thirteen of us were on the grounds…" Harry trailed off.

"What is it, Harry?" Draco asked.

_"__I_ forgot to contact Hogwarts last night to see about Dumbledore." Harry explained.

The others nodded.

"Would you mind informing me, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall half asked, half told.

"I forgot about something I had to do. You need not worry, professor." Harry replied.

"How am I supposed to trust you if you won't trust me?" McGonagall asked.

"Well, you don't have anything to lose unlike us." Hermione defended.

"Besides your life of course." Hannah said.

McGonagall nodded and said, "You are right. I will see you later in class."

The Orderians then said their good byes and left to go to breakfast.

When they arrived, they quickly went over to their seats and ate. Harry, though, ate very quickly to the confusion of his friends.

"Hey, don't worry, Harry. Nobody's stealing your food." Seamus joked.

Harry didn't answer Seamus's teasing, however.

"Dude, are you okay?" Seamus asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry answered simply.

"How is he not choking?" Hermione asked Susan.

"You're asking that? I want to know how he's minding his manners while eating so quickly!" Neville grinned. The group erupted in laughter at this. Harry, however, didn't pay any mind for he had just finished.

"Can you guys cover me for a minute?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Why?" Draco asked.

"I need to talk to Hogwarts." Harry whispered to the other Orderians. The others paused for a second and nodded all at once.

"We got your back." Neville stated.

"Thanks." Harry nodded.

"No problem." Draco said before everyone appeared to go back to talking with one another, but in actuality, they were being extra careful of people coming up.

Meanwhile Harry was talking to his castle.

_"Hello, Harry. What can I do for you?" _Hogwarts asked.

_"__Hello_, Hogwarts. Can you tell me where Dumbledore went when he left the actual castle?" Harry responded.

_"__That_ is a trivial request, but if you need to know, let me tell you that he never left the grounds." Hogwarts answered.

_"Where did he go on the grounds?" _Harry asked curiously.

_"__He_ went to the groundskeeper, Hagrid's, hut. It looked like another one of his normal visits until I noticed a bright flash of magic inside." The castle replied.

_"Did Hagrid come out later?" _Harry asked concerned.

_"__Yes_. Fifteen minutes after Dumbledore left." Hogwarts responded.

_"Thank you, Hogwarts. I must go now, but I am very grateful for having you in my service." _Harry said.

_"__No_ thanks are necessary. It is my pleasure to serve my true lord and not a fraud such as Dumbledore. Good bye, Harry." Hogwarts replied before drawing out of Harry's mind.

"We have our answer… Dumbledore never left Hogwarts grounds. He was in Hagrid's hut." Harry said to the others after returning from his mind.

"What'd he do in there?" Justin asked.

"I don't know, but Hogwarts informed me that there was a flash of magic inside the hut while Dumbledore was present." Harry answered.

"You don't think he…?" Hannah trailed off.

"No, no! He didn't do that! Hagrid walked out fifteen minutes after Dumbledore." Harry responded. He noted everyone sighed in relief.

"So what do you think happened?" Justin asked.

"I don't know, and I don't see any way to find out." Harry replied.

"There might be a way…" Dean trailed off.

"How?" Harry asked with a confused look on his face.

"Never mind… it won't work." Dean said.

"Come on, tell us. How bad could it be?" Seamus inquired.

"No, it's ridiculous. Just, please, drop the subject." Dean pleaded.

"All right… but you are going to have to tell us one day." Seamus bargained.

"Fine, just not today." Dean said.

"Whoa! You did teach him a lesson, Harry!" Ernest exclaimed in awe as Ronald walked past their group.

Dumbledore's child spy had heavy bandages on his left side, a sling for his left arm, and a face that was completely purple.

"You think that's a lesson? That was just a warning." Harry said to his friends, deadly serious.

Ronald sat down in an empty seat far away from the Orderians and began to eat. His table manners were a little improved, but that was only because of his virtually useless arm.

"Should we go over there and make sure he got the message across?" Draco grinned, looking for a fight.

"No. He won't mess with any of us again… probably. Besides, we would be no better than him if we went over there, picking a fight." Harry persuaded.

Draco and the others nodded.

'I'm proud of you.' Daphne said.

'What for?' Harry asked, confused.

'For remaining rational. I felt your blood boil when you saw him and remembered.' Daphne replied.

'I just knew you would want me to be smart.' Harry smiled.

'Aw…' Daphne said.

"Hey, guys? Guys! Hey, I'm talking to you!" Draco exclaimed into Harry's ear.

"What do you want?" Harry sighed.

"I wanted to know if you two were ready to head to class. We're about to go." Draco replied.

"I'm ready." Harry said before turning to Daphne, "You ready?"

"Yeah, but I want to hang with the other Gryffindor girls." Daphne said.

"All right, I'll see you next class." Harry replied before giving her a hug and saying, "Bye."

Daphne left after adding in her own, "Bye."

"Let's go." Draco said as he turned around towards the exit.

"All right." Harry replied, moving in beside Draco.

"So, are we still good to go on the other phase of our plan?" Draco whispered.

"That depends… do you have the materials?" Harry asked back.

"You wound me! How dare you think that I would be so irresponsible in my tasks!" Draco said dramatically.

"You forgot something didn't you?" Harry sighed.

Draco was silent.

"It's all right; I specified that we meet tomorrow morning, not today." Harry consoled.

"I know, but this item slipped my mind completely." Draco replied.

"Dude, we're still learning. Plus, no matter how hard we train we are still only human." Harry said, assuring one of his closest friends.

"Okay." Draco said, feeling better.

"Hey, slow pokes! What are you guys doing?" Seamus asked as he walked up.

"Nothing much, just planning on how to approach a sensitive subject." Harry replied.

"Dealing with who?" Tracey asked, coming up with everyone else.

"Seamus." Harry said sadly.

"What sensitive subject?" Seamus asked warily.

Harry paused for a moment before speaking empathically, "Look Seamus, Draco and I know your secret."

"What secret?!" Seamus asked, alarmed.

"And I want you to know that as your friends we are here for you… but we think it's time you came out of the closet." Harry answered, completely serious.

A few seconds passed where everyone was silent in shock before everyone, excluding Seamus, started laughing at Harry's joke.

"Not funny!" Seamus exclaimed as they got onto the Grand Staircase. He was really pissed off.

"Eh, it's kinda funny." Justin said sympathetically before busting out laughing once more.

This revived outburst doubled the strength of their laughs. A minute later, everyone managed to recover him or herself.

"Well, this is our stop." Susan stated when they reached the third floor.

After everyone had exchanged goodbyes, Harry said to the Hufflepuffs, "Remember to be kind to the Claws. They're the next step."

Hannah, Susan, Justin, and Ernest all nodded their heads in understanding as their reply. "We'll see you guys." Susan said before they left.

"Uh, guys? We better hurry. We have two minutes to get to Binns's class." Blaise said, looking at his watch.

"Apparate? Or Shadow travel?" Draco asked, turning to Harry.

"We can't risk it. We'll just need to hurry." Harry said before taking off at an almost run towards History of Magic. His friends followed closely on his heels.

They arrived exactly a minute later at the door to the classroom, but before entering, Dean hesitated and had a confused look on his face.

"What is it, Dean?" Neville asked.

"I just realized something." Dean said.

"What?" Tracey asked impatiently.

"Professor Binns probably wouldn't notice us missing even if we skipped the whole class." Dean realized.

"Oh my god." Seamus sighed. "You're right. Why haven't we just skipped History? The class is completely useless, and it's a waste anyways since we've been learning from the Order. We might as well use this as a training period."

"I'm not sure…" Draco trailed.

"Me neither. It'd be very risky in case someone like Dumbledore or other authority figure came looking for us." Neville agreed.

"Well, let's not think about it now. We still have to make it through this class." Harry interjected before leading everyone inside.

As they entered, Harry found Daphne near the back of the class and headed toward her.

"Secret passages?" Harry asked as he sat down and noticed her Gryffindor friends were not sitting with her but in the middle of the class.

"Yep." She responded looking over at him in the next desk over. "What took you so long?"

"I questioned Seamus about his sexuality, and we realized how useless this class is." Harry replied.

"Are we going to start skipping?" Daphne asked.

"We haven't decided yet. I thought it would be better to have everyone involved in the decision." Harry answered.

"Thanks." Daphne smiled.

"Anytime."

"Are you two going to be like this all of class?" Draco asked.

"No…" Harry started.

"We're…" Daphne continued.

"Not..." Harry followed up.

"Going…" Daphne said.

"To." Harry finished.

"Arseholes." Draco replied before turning his head back towards the Grey Order History of Magic Textbook on his desk. Harry and Daphne grinned.

While the Grey Assassins inside Hogwarts always showed up to their History of Magic lessons, that did not necessarily mean they paid attention. Two days after each had been recruited, or arrived in Harry's case, he or she brought his or her Orderian books to each of his or her classes. After applying an illusion charm, these books allowed the children to learn actually useful information and not the mediocre lessons from their incompetent teachers.

Harry noted, however, Draco was looking at their plans. He could tell Draco was already experiencing the joy of pulling it off.

"Calm down, boy. We still have until tomorrow." Harry half joked.

"I know, but I just can't stop thinking about it!" Draco said, joy rolling off his tongue with each word spoken.

The next morning Harry and Draco met in Harry's office in his suite and finalized the plan. They had everything together. All that was left was to set it up and watch the fireworks.

Finally, it was Wednesday morning.

Headmaster Dumbledore woke up at his normal time of five o'clock a.m. After his good morning stretch, he stood up and magicked his robes onto him. Next, he went over to the bathroom and used his magic toothbrush to make his breath lemony fresh. Then, he sat down on his toilet.

At first, everything was fine until _it_ happened. _It _was a huge explosion in the pipes, strategically placed to only destroy the water running into the Headmaster's bathroom.

All around Dumbledore, including under him, filthy water exploded up into the air and onto the chess master. Shite, piss, and other sewage covered Dumbledore from head to toe.

After a few seconds, the Headmaster opened his eyes and screamed at the ceiling. When he had run out of breath, Dumbledore opened his eyes and screamed again. This time, however, he screamed in anger. He screamed this time because there was a note on the ceiling. The small sheet of paper with a small bit of tape on each corner had just three words on it. _Harry and Draco._

Dumbledore rushed off of the toilet and into his bedroom while quickly cleaning his robes with a spell. He quickly used a secret staircase that led him up into his office. Once inside, he sat down in his chair and popped a lemon drop into his mouth before contacting McGonagall with a spell.

"What is it, Albus? I was sound asleep." She asked, annoyed.

"Minerva, please retrieve Mr. Potter from his room and bring him to my office immediately." He replied before ending the spell.

"Old coot." McGonagall mumbled to herself.

While the transfiguration professor was getting dressed, Dumbledore was making another call.

"This better be good, Albus."

"I need you to bring Mr. Malfoy into my office immediately." The headmaster waved off Severus's threatening tone.

"Fine." The potions professor said before ending the call.

"This'll be fun to watch." He said to himself while getting ready. Two minutes later, he met Draco outside of his office and led the boy to Dumbledore's office.

When the Slytherins walked up to the gatekeeper gargoyle, they noticed McGonagall and Harry doing the same.

"Hello, Severus. Ready for some fun?" Harry grinned. It had been agreed to just have McGonagall be aware of their operations at Hogwarts until Saturday when she would swear an oath in front of the Elders.

"Always, Harry." Severus grinned back. "I just wish I could join in the fun."

"Don't worry. We'll have enough for you and then some." Draco replied, grinning as well.

The two professors and two students then walked up to the gatekeeper and went up the winding staircase.

"Come in." Dumbledore called out after McGonagall knocked on the door.

"Thank you for bringing these two here, Severus, McGonagall." The headmaster was answered with a nod from both professors.

"You may go back to your beds and get a few more minutes of sleep. This is a private matter among Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, and me." He dismissed the professors. Severus and McGonagall acted groggily and nodded before leaving.

"You wanted to see us, Headmaster?" Harry asked innocently.

"Are we going to have to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Dumbledore cut the crap. "Why did you prank me?"

"I thought it'd be fun." Harry shrugged.

"Hey! You are not taking credit for _our_ idea. We both thought it up together, so I get half of the credit." Draco interjected.

"Oh, you knew what I meant!" Harry countered.

"Shut up, you two! It doesn't matter about the credit! You are both being punished!" Dumbledore redirected the conversation back on track.

"How do you know it was us?" Harry asked with a grin.

"There was a note on the ceiling with your names on it." He replied, shocked at the question.

"That's not vindictive, though. Someone could have easily framed us." Harry defended them.

"You just admitted it, though, when you said 'I thought it'd be fun' if I recall correctly." Dumbledore countered. "This office has surveillance on it every second of the day and night."

"Yes, but you can't use that against us." Harry grinned.

"Why not?" Dumbledore asked, getting angry.

"We or Draco's parents have never signed media release forms. We're underage, so it is illegal to use it." Harry grinned in victory. The headmaster fell perfectly into his trap.

"May we go now, sir?" Draco asked, grinning as well.

Dumbledore sat for a moment, thinking. He couldn't believe an eleven year old had beaten him even once, not to mention four times. "You may le-"

The reason he stopped was that Harry and Draco were screaming "Fire!" He looked down and noticed his whole desk and his left sleeve were on fire.

He screamed for a moment before his mouth was filled with water.

Once they saw not even an ember sparking, Harry and Draco canceled the streams of water flowing from their wands.

"Sorry, Headmaster. We noticed the fire and reacted." Draco apologized.

"Get out. Now." Dumbledore commanded. He knew that the children started the fire, but he knew that they had probably set it up to look non-incriminating.

Harry and Draco stood up and walked out the door. Draco, though, poked his head around the doorframe before saying, "By the way, sir, I would recommend taking a bathe or something. You reek horribly." He then closed the door quickly behind him.

"You think he's angry?" Harry asked when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Just then they heard a scream of rage coming from the headmaster's office. Normally, the sound would have been undetectable, but Harry and Draco had enhanced hearing.

"I'm not quite certain. I thought he was happy when we left." Draco replied with a grin.

"Don't you mean 'I thought he was happy _that_ we left'?" Harry asked. Immediately afterward, they broke into laughter and kept it up even after parting ways.

**AN: Well, there you go everyone! Chapter 14! Please always remember to review, or if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. I will get back to you as soon as I can. So remember: _Occidere prima vel occidi._**


	15. Some Long Days

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Communication Through the Mind or Communicator or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

**_The Grey Assassins:_**

**Chapter 15**

"So I see you guys have some more recruits for me." Nikki stated as she turned around.

"Yes we do Nikki." Harry smiled.

"So, how are you liking your magical tats?" She asked as she prepared four stencils.

"They're working out great. Rex, Umbra, and Zeus are enjoying them immensely as well."

"Glad to hear it. So who's up first?" Nikki asked the four ravens.

One of the girls stepped up and sat in the chair.

"Is this going to hurt?" Padma Patil asked nervously.

"Not at all." Nikki replied as she lay down the stencil.

"Will this be noticeable all of the time?" Padma asked, worried.

"Let me guess. Concerned parents won't approve?" Padma nodded. "Don't worry. Every tattoo you get here you can will invisible. It's kinda like how you work the gauntlets except with no tech."

Padma sighed in relief, "Thank Merlin."

After a couple more seconds, Nikki finished the tattoo.

"See, I told you so." Nikki said as Padma willed the tattoo away and back. "Next up?"

"I guess I'll go." Anthony Goldstein replied as walked up and sat down in the chair.

Nikki repeated the same process of tattooing with Anthony and then his two friends, Terry Boot and Michael Corner respectively. With the boys, though, they remained silent except to say thank you to Nikki as they looked in the mirror.

"Wow. That was very enjoyable." Nikki said sarcastically and quietly to Harry.

"I know, but they weren't trying to be rude. We asked them to try coming up with some new tech for us." Harry replied.

"Ravenclaws, then I take it?" Nikki asked.

Harry nodded.

"They'll be damn useful then. It's like you can actually see the clogs turning in their heads." Nikki chuckled.

"So where are the others?" She asked indicating the absence of the other twelve members before the Ravenclaws joined.

"Waiting in the arena stands." He answered simply.

"Oh, yeah. The Elders called our generation back." Nikki recalled.

"Aren't you coming?" Harry asked.

"Nope. I'll be waiting here because I'm not needed there and I don't want to be there." Nikki responded.

"You could advertise the shop, though. It probably would be nice having some more canvasses." Harry persuaded.

Nikki stood thinking for a second. "Fine, I'll go… to get more business."

"You want to join us?" Harry asked.

"No thanks. I have to go a separate way to meet my old friends." Nikki said as she and Harry started walking out of the shop.

"Come on, guys." Harry said to the new members. "It's time to meet some old people."

"Careful who hears you, Harry. Some of those "old people" as you called them could kick your ass. You might be good, but these guys have experience on their side… a whole lot of experience." Nikki warned as they walked down the halls.

"I'm just messing around." Harry chuckled.

"Still, don't get too cocky around them." Nikki said seriously.

Harry nodded in reply.

A minute later, the group reached an intersection.

"Well, I guess I'll be off to meet some of my old companions, which will definitely be as awkward as hell." Nikki said.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic." Harry replied before thinking for a second. "But good luck anyway."

With a nod of recognition, Nikki turned and walked down the left hall leaving the younger members to continue down their path. They proceeded down for a minute before Terry spoke up.

"Where are we going?"

"The arena. Previous eras used it to settle disputes between members or for recreation." Harry answered.

"Why would they fight for fun?" Padma asked, confused.

"The Elders told me that we will eventually start to like the thrill and the adrenaline of a fight. Previous councils encouraged the use of the arena for fighting because it supposedly helped develop a stronger bond between the members. Plus, it wasn't just for recreational fighting. During ancient times when the muggle and wizarding worlds were not so separate, the Grey Assassins in Greece held their events publicly. You might have heard of the Olympic Games?" Harry asked with a smile.

"That was us?" Michael asked in shock.

"Well at least the older versions. Our order was also responsible for the Coliseum and other arenas like it. We didn't use it as often publicly, however. During that time, we started moving more secretly." Harry responded.

Everyone but Harry nodded his or her understanding. During this period of explanation, they managed to make their way to a large metal door that was as gray as the walls that held it in place. It was a lighter, faded gray caused by years of exposure to sunlight.

"But we'll have plenty of time for history lessons later. For now, we need to take care of this." Harry said before turning back to the door and opening it.

A wall of sunlight blinded the new members who were still adjusting to their improved senses. Harry just strode forward.

On the other side of the door, the five found themselves at the top of the inside of what looked quite similarly like the Coliseum. The only difference between the two was that this version was a less faded gray and that there were no cages to hold creatures.

Harry noticed right away that his friends were in their section, the reserved section, but were three rows down and two columns left. It took the other four a couple more seconds to notice. When Harry knew the Ravenclaws had noticed the others, he quickly walked over to his soul mate, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and sat down.

"Please tell me that you're not going to greet me like that as well." Draco pleaded.

Harry shrugged, stood up, and walked over to Draco.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Draco asked warily.

Harry then suddenly moved his head forward with his lips forming a kiss. It was clear what Harry's target was. The movement seemed to be in slow motion but lasted only a second.

Draco closed his eyes and braced himself, but was surprised for he didn't feel a kiss on his cheek. He opened his eyes and jolted back. Harry had stopped just in front of Draco's face.

"Gotcha!" Harry whispered but everyone in the group heard him. He then backed away but still stood facing Draco.

"I hate you." The Malfoy heir said.

"You really need to get over that." Harry replied with a chuckle before going back to Daphne.

"So when is this starting?" Anthony asked.

"Soon enough." Neville replied. Harry grinned.

Sure enough, the arena bottom split into two sections that retracted into the walls. In the missing space there was a deep depression that was so deep that even Harry and his friends couldn't see the bottom from their vantage point. But slowly the seventeen latest Grey Assassins could see heads and with them bodies rise from the bottom. The metal platform the older members rested on looked exactly like the one that had just retracted into the walls. When it was in place, Harry noted that there must have been at least five hundred of them down there. He also noted that each of them looked to be fairly comfortable in the claustrophobic space.

The seventeen assassins' attention was then focused mostly on the platform opposite of them when the Elders came out upon it. It was fitting that the council stood there where Roman emperors had sat and judged fighting gladiators.

"Welcome old friends to your arena; it has certainly been a while." Edward announced with his voice amplified by the acoustics of the arena. The assassins in the arena bottom nodded their acknowledgement.

"I know that we swore many years ago to go our separate ways and that almost all of us have done so and have created new lives. Even then some of you have moved on in at least some regards. Now, though, the next generation of the Grey Order has begun, and already they are breaking tradition. They've called upon us, all of us, to teach them our ways." Edward said.

"Yes, yes. We know, Edward! Can you please get on with it instead of turning it into a big deal like you always used to?" One of the Assassins shouted. The younger members recognized the person as male but were unable to distinguish any other characteristics as he and everyone else in the arena had on their Assassin robes with the cowls raised.

"Fine." Edward sighed. "I know that this is asking too much, but we are asking that you rejoin the order and at least help train the next era for the time being. That request is all that the next era is asking."

Silence.

"What Edward is trying to say is "can you train the newest seventeen Grey Assassins", but he is too caught up in formality to speak like a normal human being." Victor translated.

"Oh shut up!" Edward replied to his friend.

"You're the one who has to act so proper." Victor retorted.

Everyone then noticed Victor and Edward grimace in pain. They could also see that Evelyn looked fairly pleased with herself.

"So what are your answers?" Edward asked after a moment.

His response was for all of the people in the bottom of the arena to nod their heads.

"Thank you. The council has already chosen the new leader of our Order. Harry, would you like to say anything?" Edward asked with much less nobility in his voice.

Harry stood up and everyone's attention was primarily focused on him.

"Thank you for agreeing to help us." Harry said simply but not stupidly.

"Nice job, Harry. You get nervous or something?" Draco mocked.

"Edward pretty much said all that was needed." Harry replied.

"Uh, well put." Edward said confusedly before regaining his wits. "So my old friends, please meet us all in the simulation room for introductions.

"Why not cut to the chase? They can just introduce themselves from up there, can't they?" A woman Assassin asked.

"All right." Edward said before nodding towards the seventeen.

"Padma Patil."

"Terry Boot."

"Michael Corner."

"Anthony Goldstein. We were just recruited today. Previously, we werere in Ravenclaw."

"Susan Bones."

"Ernest Macmillan."

"Justin Finch-Fletchley."

"Hannah Abbott. We are Hufflepuffs who were recruited a couple weeks ago."

"Tracey Davis."

"Blaise Zabini."

"Draco Malfoy. Slytherins who were recruited many weeks ago."

"Hermione Granger, previous spy for Dumbledore."

"Dean Thomas."

"Seamus Finnegan."

"Neville Longbottom."

"Daphne Greengrass, previous Slytherin."

"Harry Potter. We're the Gryffindors at Hogwarts. All except for Draco and me were recruited with the Slytherins. I was recruited over three years ago."

"So can we now go to the simulator?" Edward asked.

Everyone nodded and began to prepare to move. The Assassins at the bottom of the arena still stood but looked like something was wrong.

Harry smiled and said softly, "Let the fun begin."

"What do you mean?" Tracey asked curiously.

"Watch." He replied.

Down at the bottom of the arena, the Assassins were still struggling in place, but their efforts were amplified to no avail. Suddenly, each of them was turned into clowns. Then, several pies appeared over each member that fell quickly onto his or her raised faces. After that, liquid soda drenched each of them separately with the force of a fire hose. Finally, each of the Assassins was turned into an old man/woman depending on the original sex of victim. The men were hunched over with a wooden can their hands; they wore khakis with a brown belt, worn brown shoes, and blue long sleeve sweaters. The women were hunched over as well but held walkers in their hands. They wore pink dresses with little ducks on them. All of the transformed people had snow-white hair, many wrinkles, and generally worn-looking faces.

"Let's go, quickly." Harry said as he stood. He knew that they could laugh later.

Everyone followed suit, and they all quickly walked back into the base to collect their things from their rooms. Once done, they met and walked toward the simulation room, bracing for a verbal and maybe a physical beating. When they arrived, they noticed no one at the controls.

The simulation room was technically two rooms that were connected to one another by a door big enough for a very obese person to comfortably walk through. The actual simulator was just a completely blank room with the walls, floor, and ceiling consisting of surprisingly white metal sheets. Although it was bleak, the size of the room was gigantic. The other room was the entrance to the simulator and was slightly above it. This would explain why a staircase lead down into the simulator. The entrance room also doubled as the control room for the simulator. It consisted of a row of touch screen computers that lined the wall opposite the entrance. These computers also had keyboards and USB and CD inserts for the necessary operations. A tinted window allowed operators to observe the people in the simulator before the simulation began.

"I'll make sure they don't change the programming to screw with us. I'm not getting in trouble for something I didn't do." Susan said as she walked toward the controls.

"Susan, wait." Draco said.

Susan stopped and turned. "Upload this into the system. The program will take care of the rest." He said as he tossed Susan a flash drive.

"Is this what you had me create a few days ago?" She asked as she examined the removable drive as if she could read the programming through the case.

Draco nodded.

"Oh, this is going to be great!" Susan said joyously before sitting down at the computer and performing the necessary actions to incorporate Draco's program with the preexisting simulation.

"All right. It's done. What now?" Susan asked after finishing up two minutes after beginning.

"We wait inside for the others to arrive. I trust you hid the program from being detected?" Harry asked as he led his friends into the simulator.

"Of course!" Susan exclaimed. Shortly after joining she found that she had a great niche in computer programming. She could create programs, firewalls, and other things with ease and be able to hide them until the necessary time came when they were to be unleashed on her cybernetic adversary. Susan Bones was a prodigy with computers, and it was insulting to her for anyone to think she would leave anything undone when it came to them and their operations.

Harry smiled.

"So how long do you think we'll be waiting?" Justin asked.

"What, bored already?" Blaise chuckled.

"I'm not bored, just curious." Justin replied.

"We wait as long as we have to," Seamus said, "but until they get here I got a deck of cards that are begging to be used. Anyone up for a game of five card?"

The boys automatically flocked over; each of them had a devilish grin on their faces.

"I don't see how it could hurt." Harry said almost innocently. His words, though, came out as innocent as a tornado.

The eleven male Grey Assassins then sat down, and Seamus passed out five cards to each of them, excluding Blaise and himself, quicker than a normal dealer's eyes could even see.

"What is it with boys and gambling?" Padma asked, shaking her head before looking at Daphne. The other girls soon proceeded to do the same.

"What?" Daphne asked as she noticed the others' stares.

"Well, you are the one who can see through a boys eyes." Tracey replied sympathetically.

"Yeah, I can see what he does and think what he thinks, but that doesn't mean that I understand him completely. To be honest, though, I prefer it that way."

"Why?" Hannah asked curiously. All of the girls were now in a circle talking in slightly hushed tones.

"I wouldn't want to have a copy of myself. I like him for all of his values _and_ vices." Daphne answered not quite so truthfully.

"Oh, Merlin!" Tracey said in shock. She as well as the others had on faces of disbelief.

"What now?" Daphne sighed.

"You can't even say you love him yet!" Tracey replied, appalled. "I mean you guys have a soul bond and sleep in the same bed!"

"I'm just not that comfortable yet. I mean I know I'm going to marry him, but we are still a little young." Daphne responded.

The other girls just shook their heads.

Right at that moment, Harry decided to cut his winnings and stopped the game. He hadn't won anything physical, but he had won the right to go toe-to-toe with Seamus and Blaise, the two best card players Harry had ever seen. Blaise had watched each proceeding game with care, analyzing the players' tells. Harry didn't appear to have a tell, however, at least… not yet. Seamus dealt the deck and watched each player carefully. He, though, didn't look for tells; he looked for idiosyncrasies. Seamus saw that Ernie kept his cards closer to his chest than the rest, indicating paranoia that could be exploited. He also saw that Dean and the Ravenclaws didn't take as many risks and tried studying their opponents for any sign of a give away. Justin could easily be forced to make mistakes when angered, and Draco almost always put on a face the opposite of the luck of his cards. Seamus, though, couldn't find any mannerisms to pin on Harry and Blaise, Blaise for his lack of play and Harry for his unpredictability. Neville most of all was a surprise to Seamus. He wasn't brash, but he definitely had the right to be a Gryffindor when it came to his cards. Almost always, he took chances.

"Come on, everyone. We need to head back to Hogwarts." Harry said as he stood up after the last game had ended.

Seamus nodded and summoned all of the cards back into his case. Meanwhile, all the boys had stood up and joined the girls at the door.

"Susan, can you remove the program… temporarily?" Harry added the last part after seeing Susan's annoyed face. "It wouldn't do much good just sitting there, adding to the chances that it'll be found and destroyed or turned on us."

Susan calmed down and said, "Good thinking" as she walked over to the console. A minute later she stood up. "Done."

"Let's go then." Harry said as he led them out into the hallway. He then turned right.

"Harry, where are you going? Transports that way." Neville said, indicating behind them.

"We need to know who to recruit now and further orders. I'd go alone, but I think we'll be stronger together in case we run into trouble." Harry explained, referring to the prank a few minutes earlier. "I'm hoping that since we didn't prank them, the Elders won't be mad at us."

The others nodded, and Harry led them away. They proceeded down the maze of passages carefully, watching out for the older members. Luckily, though, they didn't encounter any.

"Are the Elders speaking with anyone besides themselves?" Harry asked the guard on the left as they arrived at the entrance.

"No, they are available for conference." The guard replied.

"Good. Could you please notify them of our need to speak with them?" Harry asked.

The guard stood still for a moment before nodding his head and saying, "You may enter."

"Thank you." Harry replied as he led his friends into the council chamber.

"Harry, I trust that was you who performed that prank?" Edward grinned after the door closed and the Grey Assassins that stood before the Elders were standing at attention with their hands behind their backs.

"Of course, Edward." Harry grinned back before turning serious. "But right now we need to focus on our objectives."

"He is right, Edward. What do you want to know first, Harry?" Victor commented.

"Who are we recruiting now?" Harry asked simply.

Meanwhile, Edward had gone serious and now contributed to the conversation. "We have discussed this, Harry. We believe that recruitment should be halted for now."

"How long will recruitment be halted?" Harry questioned.

"We thought it might be wise to wait for next year." Henry added in.

"What about the Weasley twins and Percy?" Harry questioned further.

The council was silent in thought and realization.

"I guess we forgot about them." Helen said, slightly embarrassed. It was not normal for them to forget key players or elements in a plan, even on this size of a scale.

"I think it would be all right to bring Percy into the loop. He could prove useful as an informant." Edward reasoned.

"He could easily reach Minerva or Severus as a prefect." Henry commented. The other council members nodded at Edward and Henry's statements.

"So, you are cleared for a different kind of recruitment on Percy. I remember we also talked about the twins. They are cleared for normal recruitment." Edward concluded.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'different kind of recruitment'?" Tracey asked.

"Oh, this had not happened for any of you yet. What Edward meant by that was that Percy will be privy to our organization but will be on the same level as Minerva." Evelyn explained.

"Okay. Anything else?" Harry asked.

"Yes. We need you to start setting up defenses on the castle. They must be undetectable when not firing." Victor said.

"So we're going muggle for this?" Harry asked.

"Mostly. The castle has been around for hundreds of years, and each headmaster as well as the founders has added to its magical defenses since its creation. There is probably not much to add to… for now." Victor answered.

"You will start on defending all of the grounds with muggle weaponry after you start forming alliances with the natives of the Forbidden Forest." Henry continued.

"Do we take that as another mission objective?" Blaise asked.

"Yes." Henry replied.

"Do we have intelligence on inhabitants?" Seamus asked.

"As far as we know, the Forbidden Forest contains centaurs, unicorns, hippogriffs, thestrals, other magical creatures, and normal muggle forest creatures. Centaurs appear to be the ones you need to make peace with. If they are determined to hurt you or the inhabitants of Hogwarts, though, you have permission to kill when provoked." Victor said.

"Define limits on provoked." Draco said.

"If attacked, robbed of high value gear, planned against, and etcetera, etcetera, you have permission to kill the ones who provoked you." Victor explained.

"There are also rumours that werewolves, trolls, and giants reside in the forest," Henry said, "They have the same deal as the centaurs if you encounter them."

"Understood. If we encounter any other intelligent but potentially deadly life, I assume we do the same?" Harry asked.

"No, for anything else notify us first. This also includes werewolves, but that is only so we may outfit you with silver bullets." Victor answered.

"Wouldn't it be better to just bring silver bullets along?" Dean asked.

"I guess it would. We'll send shipments to each of you in the morning mail on Monday. It'll still be hidden, though." Edward replied.

"Anything else?" Daphne asked.

"Yes. The final thing we need from you guys is to set up separate communications and Control Room somewhere in the castle. In other, words we need you guys to start setting up shop," Edward said, "Also Harry, we need you to investigate the Founders' secret chambers to identify value."

"Got it. Hopefully, we'll talk to you next Friday night." Harry said before starting to leave.

"Wait, Harry. We want each of you to pick up these two cases for setting up the posts and defenses." Edward showed thirty-four cases in a corner of the room. Each one was labeled with a _P_ for posts or a _D _for defense. All of them had the owner's initials on them.

"Good luck." Edward said as they picked up the cases and quickly walked into the transport room.

Again good fortune shined on them, for no older members intercepted them. They then apparated into the Chamber of Secrets. The newest members, though, side-apparated.

"Set your P cases down here. This place is perfect for a Control Room and Communications post. We'll set them up in different rooms." Harry said.

Everyone else nodded and complied.

"When will we set them up?" Hermione asked.

"After curfew?" Ernie suggested.

"I have detention, but after that would be good. I'll contact you guys when I arrive back at my suite." Harry said.

"Sounds good." Blaise confirmed.

"What about defenses?" Seamus asked.

"Calm down. It's only Friday night, Seamus," Harry chuckled, "We'll start tomorrow after breakfast."

Everyone excluding the Ravenclaws sighed at Harry's bad attempt at humor.

"Hey, Anthony, Michael, Terry, Padma, you guys will have plenty of time to think about inventions later. For now, enjoy being one of us." Harry half joked, half lightly ordered. They nodded and came back into everyone else's plane of existence.

"So, dinner?" Justin asked.

Everyone consented and proceeded back into the castle. They hid their cases beside the staircase before entering the castle and going into the Great Hall. They all went to sit down at the Gryffindor table, but were stopped by Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry to say this, but I am afraid that people from different houses may not sit together. Those are the school rules." He said quickly before walking off.

"That was odd to say the least." Susan commented, confused. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Before Dumbledore turned the corner out of the Great Hall, however, Harry called him.

"Excuse me, headmaster!" He said loudly but not so loud as a shout that would attract everyone in the Great Hall's attention. He then stuck up the middle finger on his left hand and mouthed two words.

'Fuck you!' He said silently. Dumbledore looked aghast but turned away and proceeded to his intended destination before Harry's interruption.

"So, do we sit at the same table?" Hannah asked curiously but unafraid.

Harry looked at his friends. "We'll do what he says for now. We'll play it safe until we know if it's actually against the rules. I don't want to get you guys in trouble… except maybe Draco." He joked at the end.

The not so offended shook his head. "Whatever."

All of them then parted ways toward their respective tables.

"Wonder what came over him." Neville stated.

"I don't know, but he's making our lives pains in the asses." Seamus replied. Everyone nodded his or her agreement.

Meanwhile, Harry had turned his gaze on the Head Table. He saw Severus and caught his eye. He raised an eyebrow about Dumbledore, and Severus replied with a slight shrug and his own questioning eyebrow. His question was almost clear. It was either, "Did you guys talk to the Elders and get your assignments?" or, "Why not me?"

When Harry had pranked the older Assassins, he had left Severus unaffected.

Harry thought a second before making a barely noticed half heart with his right hand. He thought Severus asked, "why not me". Severus still held his quirked eyebrow, so Harry made an x over his right pectorals. The sign for, "I'll talk to you later". Severus then made his face go blank then quirked his eyebrow again.

_'Oh, shit. He was asking about the assignments. Oh, well. There is nothing I can do about it now.'_ Harry thought before tapping his head and nodding. This meant, "I got it" when it came to information.

Severus's eyes widened after a second. He realized what Harry was saying the whole time. He then made an x over his right pectorals. Harry nodded and went back to his friends' conversation.

After dinner, the Grey Assassins at Hogwarts went straight to their common rooms or in Daphne and Harry's case, their suite.

"You guys can come out now." Harry and Daphne said at the same time. Rex, Umbra, and Zeus sprang out of Harry's right arm by traveling down his arm and coming out his hand, and Regina sprang out of Daphne's right arm by doing the same.

"How did you get over there?" Harry asked Rex, confused.

_"I found a way to move while on your skin as a tattoo." _He replied.

Harry looked down while shaking his head and laughed.

"Of course. You guys never cease to amaze me." He said.

The family of two humans, two dragons, one wolf, and one king cobra then spent the next hour talking and spending time together. After the hour was up, Harry got up and summoned his three familiars.

"I'll be off then to Flitwick's." He said after giving Daphne a hug and Regina a scratch on the head good-bye.

"I'll see you soon." Daphne replied while Harry passed through the entrance/exit.

After the portrait closed, Harry proceeded over to the Charm's classroom. He knocked on the door and waited a moment.

"Ah, Harry. You are right on time. Please come in." Flitwick said after he opened the door with his wand.

"Yes, professor. You should know by now that I'm never late but mostly early." Harry chuckled as he entered.

Detention went by relatively easy for Harry. He had to ensure that each chair and desk was not bent and if so then he would fix it by magic since Flitwick knew of his prowess in the subject. It was an easy but time-consuming task.

Once he finished his assigned tasks, Flitwick told him to relax for the rest of detention. Harry didn't go sit down, however. Instead, he took the opportunity to benefit from the professor's knowledge by learning spells, dueling tips, and a foothold on knowing the head of Ravenclaw house.

"Uh, professor?" Harry said trying to get Flitwick's attention.

"Yes, Harry? What can I do for you?" The Charms teacher asked.

"I've heard that you were once a dueling champion, is it true?" Harry continued.

"Yes. I won the IDT twice in a row back in 1953 and then 1954." Flitwick replied, delighted to reveal his accomplishments.

"IDT?" Harry asked curiously.

"International Dueling Tournament. It selects, exclusively, well-known and powerful wizards and witches from all over the world to compete. The winner is crowned Dueling Champion."

"Did you have any special spells or tricks?" Harry asked, genuinely interested.

"Of course. Why do you ask?" Flitwick questioned, curious at Harry's motives.

"Well, you never know when you'll need to defend yourself. Plus, I kind of wanted to participate in the tournament myself when I got older." Harry answered half truthfully. But now that he thought about it, it would be nice to have such a title despite the fame that would come along with it.

"Ah. Well, I suppose I could show you a few old tricks of mine." Flitwick grinned.

The rest of detention Harry would spend learning from the previous Dueling Champion.

"Well, thank you for this professor, but I must go. I'm afraid detention is over." Harry said sadly. He actually had been enjoying himself.

"I understand, Harry," Flitwick said sadly as well before brightening up, "If you ever want to learn some more spells or tips, feel free to come by here when you have the time."

"It would be my pleasure, professor." Harry smiled before leaving the Charms classroom and going into his suite.

"So, I saw you learned some things." Daphne said as he came in. She was already dressed in her Assassin Robes but didn't have the hood pulled up.

"Yeah. Give me a minute to get dressed before we go, okay?" Harry asked as he entered their bedroom and pushed magic onto a small point on their wall.

"Sure. I'll also contact the others, saying we're about to leave." She said before closing the door and activating her gauntlet.

As she said this, a small rack had emerged beside the point Harry had pushed magic into. On it, there were all of Harry's Orderian robes. He had ceremonial, Assassin, and officer robes. His ceremonial robes were for huge Orderian meetings where plans were not discussed. His officer robes, though, were for when he had to fight alongside mercenaries in a more public setting. It had a helmet that covered his whole head to protect his face from being identified.

A minute later Harry opened the door into the living room and came out. He already had his cowl raised.

"Let's go." He said simply.

He then led his soul mate into the corridor where they then shadow traveled into the bathroom. After saying, _"Open"_ in Parseltongue, Harry and Daphne proceeded down the staircase and into the chamber where they left the cases. Inside the chamber, they found Draco, Tracey, Blaise, Hannah, Susan, Justin, and Ernie waiting for them. The others nodded 'hello'. A minute later the other Assassins from Gryffindor arrived.

"You notice the Ravenclaws anywhere along the path?" Harry asked.

"No, I don't know where they are." Seamus responded while shaking his head.

"Contact them, and if needed guide them here. We can't afford to waste too much time." Harry shook his head as well.

"I'll get it done." Dean said before activating his gauntlet.

A couple minutes later, the last members arrived. Harry didn't give them a hard time, however, because he knew he had forgotten to properly instruct his men. He wouldn't let that happen again.

"So let's get this over with." Blaise said as he picked up his case.

"Where are we setting up the Control ones?" Neville asked.

"Follow me." Harry said before guiding them to a room towards the center of the underground passages and chambers.

"You guys like it?" He asked.

"I'm fine with it. It'll be easy to reach from other parts of this place." Dean reasoned.

"Then can we get this over with?" Justin asked, setting down his case. Everyone nodded acceptance.

They then set their cases down on their sides and put their hands on the top of them. After a scanning sound and beep was heard, they flipped the two latches on each case to finally open the cases. They flipped each of them open to find layers of metal and electronics.

"What is this?" Tracey asked. "I don't see how this'll turn into a Control Room."

"**Control Room Function=Activated. Scanning Area." **The cases said simultaneously in robotic voices before small poles with bulbs on the ends popped out and emitted red lights that covered the room.

"That's new." Harry stated.

"**Scan=Complete. Spots=Acquiring."** Each case put up a grid on a certain part of the room that showed the outline of different parts of the soon to be created Control Room.

"Spots=Acquired. Please Stand Back For Construction." Everyone looked at Harry.

"Let's do what it says." He responded. Everyone nodded and left the room out of the two entrances/exits.

"**Area=Clear. Construction=Activated."** They Assassins saw the poles go down before their vision was blocked by the flying pieces of metal that became doors.

"That's pretty cool." Anthony commented. Everyone nodded.

Meanwhile behind the door, electronic and whirring sounds were heard. After ten minutes, the sounds stopped.

"Cases, is assembly complete?" Harry asked, feeling slightly stupid.

**"Please standby."**

"How did I know they were going to say that?" Harry asked rhetorically.

Everyone waited another minute before hearing, **"Construction=Completed. Wiring=Completed. You are clear to enter."**

Harry opened his entrance while Blaise did the same for his. On the inside, the Orderians saw an awesome sight. Lights were installed on the ceiling. Computer consoles with monitoring screens lined the walls. Seventeen independent chairs rested all around the room. In the center rested what appeared to be the leader's chair, Harry's chair, although it appeared no different than the rest. Each chair was entirely made of metal with armrests on the sides and attached to the floor. On the floor around the central chair, the cases rested. One side of each of them was missing.

"Whoa," Draco said, "Just when I think we're starting to learn all of their tricks, the Elders manage to surprise me again. They are good."

"Pick up your cases. I think we'll be able to finish off the communications post quickly." Harry ordered.

"Good thinking." Blaise said as he and everyone else packed up their cases.

When all the latches were locked in, the Assassins picked up the cases and walked into a nearby room. There, they sat the cases down and put their hands on them again. After the scan and beep, the Orderians unlocked and opened the cases once again.

Standing back, Harry said, "Communications post function, activate."

**"Communications Post Function=Activated. Scanning Area."**

"Let's wait outside." Harry said before everyone including himself walked out the doorway.

The Assassins turned and heard, **"Scan=Complete. Spots=Acquiring."** The same thing that happened in the Control Room happened once more in the soon to be Communications Post.

**"Spots=Acquired. Area=Clear. Construction=Activated."** The Orderians then saw the door fly into place before hearing the electronic and whirring sounds behind the door.

A few minutes after hearing the sounds stop, they heard, **"Construction=Completed. Wiring=Completed. Signal=Established. Network=Established. You are clear to enter."**

The Orderians entered the Communications Post and were not surprised. The walls were lined with radios of all kinds but were separated with a huge television screen that would be used for face-to-face communications. Above the screen, cameras rested to transmit video to the communicating party. In the center of the room, there was another way to communicate. A huge raised circle could create a holoscreen that mimicked the gauntlet function except it created a lifelike version that wasn't flat. In front of the terminal, there was a slanted metal screen to operate the projector. Again, the cases were around the room on the floor.

The Orderians went to pick up the cases but were in for a surprise once more.

**"Warning! Please Stand Back. Self-Destruct Sequence=Activated. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0."** Each of the cases disintegrated into ash.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Dean sighed as he came forward. Each of the Assassins had backed away in case the cases had exploded.

"At least we don't have to clean them up." Daphne reasoned.

"All right. You guys get out of here. Keep your cases down here and collect them tomorrow if you're going to try and set up the defenses. I'll contact the Elders and notify them of our progress." Harry said quickly but clearly.

The Orderians nodded and walked out after exchanging good-byes.

"You should go too, Daphne. It might take a while, besides I don't want to keep you up." Harry said sympathetically.

"You know I won't go to sleep until I know you're safe in our suite." She countered.

"Fine." Harry sighed before going over to the terminal and using the controls.

"Contacting Grey Base One, come in Grey Base One." He said.

A man in the Grey Assassin mercenary uniform appeared at the holoterminal.

"Code?" He asked. Their employees were trained to ask for a code even if the person trying to contact the base had Grey Assassin Robes on.

"Transmitting now to ensure security." Harry replied while working the console.

"Code received and authenticated. How may I be of assistance?" The mercenary asked.

"Patch us through to the Elders." Harry replied.

"Understood. I'll patch you through." The man replied.

"Thank you." Harry said. A minute later, the council in their extravagant robes and hoods pulled up appeared.

"What can we do for you two?" Edward asked.

"We have both posts up and running. That's how we managed to contact you guys. Tomorrow we'll start on the defenses on the building itself." Harry said.

"Good work. Contact us when it's done. Same for when you've found the inhabitants." Edward said.

"Understood. Infiltrators…out." Harry said before ending the transmission.

"That was quick." Daphne commented as they exited the post and walked down the halls.

"I prefer it that way at 10 at night." Harry joked.

"I wonder where Deus is." Daphne said curiously.

"Yeah. Do you want to go see him? I have a present for him." Harry asked.

"Oh, yeah. Let's go." Daphne said happily before leading a smiling Harry down a different route.

They soon arrived at the basilisk's lair. It was essentially a huge cave with a waterfall in one corner to supply the creature with water.

_"What are you six doing here?" _Deus asked. Harry and Daphne's familiars had emerged from their skins.

_"I have a small gift for you."_ Harry smiled.

_"A companion?" _The lonely basilisk asked hopefully.

_"__Well_, two gifts then. We will perform the ritual over the weekend, but for now I have another for you." Harry said.

_"What?" _Deus asked, a little impatient.

Harry lowered his hood then rolled up his right sleeve. On his right arm, there was an outline of what looked like a huge snake. On closer inspection, Deus saw that it was actually the outline of him.

_"Is that what I think it is?" _Deus asked in wonder.

_"If you mean, 'is that a way to have you travel outside of the castle without being hunted' then yes. It is." _Harry smiled empathically. He knew what it was like to be trapped. He might have been living away from all that for years, but he still remembered.

_"Now come and try it out." _Harry grinned.

Deus slithered over to Harry and jumped into the outline. A burst of magic occurred when the tip of Deus's head touched Harry's arm. A moment later, the outline on Harry's arm had been filled in with color. Harry knew from experience that when Deus came out of his skin that his image would still remain, though.

_"Thank you, Harry. This is one of the best gifts I have ever been given." _Deus told him.

_"No problem, my friend. But I would not give me full appreciation just yet. You still have to have your other present this weekend." _Harry responded. _"Do wish to stay down here or go with me to bed?"_

_"I would prefer to rest where I always have." _Deus said before emerging back out of Harry's skin.

_"Good night, Deus. We have to go." _Daphne said while Umbra, Rex, and Zeus jumped into Harry's skin and Regina jumped into Daphne's skin.

_"Good night, my friend. I will see you tomorrow." _Harry said while rubbing Deus's head.

_"I will see both of you tomorrow." _Deus said before Harry and Daphne left.

The two of them then shadow traveled straight into their suite before disrobing and dressing in pajamas in separate areas. They then went to bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning proceeded much like all the other mornings that had been happening lately. Instead of training on the grounds on the outside of the castle, the Orderians had been training in the Chamber of Secrets to keep warm and to train without limitations. This allowed Rex and Regina to fly around and use their respective fire/lightning and fire/ice breath abilities without worrying about destroying anything. Zeus could now learn tricks from Deus while Umbra was unaffected. The humans, though, were mostly affected. They could now practice using any of their weapons or enhancing their skills without having to worry about being observed. To them, the Chamber of Secrets allowed them to hide _their_ secrets. Other changes came when they finished training. Instead of going upstairs to change, the Assassins had managed to smuggle copies of all of their robes and clothes into the chamber to ensure efficiency. After training, though, their weekends were quite similar to what had always happened on the weekend.

Today, though, after eating breakfast, Harry went to meet Severus at his office.

"Hello, professor. May I come in?" Harry kept up the act to deceive eavesdroppers.

"Are we here to discuss what happened at dinner last night?" Severus asked after locking the door.

"Yeah." Harry said.

Severus sighed. He had a feeling this would happen one day; he just didn't know how to handle it. He wasn't used to showing feeling, although he had gotten better from being around Harry.

"I know you're hesitant about exposing your feelings, but last night I couldn't help myself." Harry explained. "You are the only person besides Daphne that I have ever shown so much feeling for. I know we screw with each other from time to time, but I guess that is what family does to each other."

"I guess that is what family does." Severus realized.

"So would you mind if I stopped calling you Severus?" Harry asked nervously.

"I guess not, Harry. I have to admit I was apprehensive to show my feelings for you, but I know I have to admit this. You are like a son to me, and I love you." Severus said hesitantly while looking at the ground. If someone ignored the words spoken it would have been almost comical to see the powerful, prideful potions master so cowed.

"Don't worry…Dad. I get it, but you don't need to worry. I love you, too." Harry said slowly. Severus looked up at Harry. Hope and love were in his eyes.

In one of the most uncharacteristic things he had ever done, Severus walked over to Harry and hugged the eleven-year-old boy he had known well for three years.

"Don't you think I'm going to go easy on you from now on, though. As much as you're my son, you're also my apprentice, and I have never gone easy on anyone I've ever trained." Severus grinned.

"I would never dream of it." Harry grinned. "As long as you don't start forbidding me to go on missions because you're concerned for my safety."

"No promises." Severus replied. "But I'll probably start being tougher on you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Harry said happily.

"Now, get out of here go hang out with your friends. We're still behind enemy lines and the walls have ears and eyes." Severus said, stopping the hug.

"I'll see you later, Dad." Harry said before opening the door and leaving his father's office.

He then went over and met his friends in the Chamber of Secrets.

"Where were you? We've been waiting to start deploying these defenses." Seamus asked impatiently. He loved the idea of destroying things.

"I wouldn't ask." Daphne said with a knowing smile on her face.

_'I really can't hide anything from her, can I?' _Harry thought.

'No, you can't.' Daphne told him. Her smile was now a grin.

"I don't even want to know what you two are discussing in those minds of yours." Draco sighed.

"You don't." Harry grinned before turning more business like. "Now, let's get this done. We'll split into five groups. Blaise, Seamus, Hermione, and Justin, you're with me."

"Tracey and Anthony, you're with me." Daphne said.

"Draco, you will be leading Ernie and Michael." Harry said. "Neville, you are leading Dean and Padma. And finally Hannah, you will be leading Susan and Terry on this mission."

Everyone nodded their acknowledgement at the people in their teams.

"My team will handle the perimeter of the castle. Daphne, you'll lead your team to the North side of the Castle's roof. Draco, you'll get the west side. Neville, I want you to handle the East, and Hannah, you'll handle the South side." Harry dealt out orders quickly.

Everyone nodded his or her acceptance.

"Let's go." Harry said.

"I feel like we should say break." Seamus joked for a second before becoming serious again.

"Good luck, Terry." Michael said.

Everyone besides the Ravenclaws hissed in disapproval.

"What?" Michael asked, confused at their reaction.

"We don't ever say good luck. We take it as a jinx." Harry explained.

"Oh, sorry." Michael apologized.

"It's all right. You didn't know," Harry said, "Now, let's get this done."

Everyone nodded once more and separated into their groups.

Harry and his team exited through the tunnels that lead into the Forbidden Forest while everyone else left through the normal entrance/exit. They then proceeded into the different parts of Hogwarts that would then leave them to their assigned parts of the roof. After climbing out of windows and climbing up the walls, these teams managed to get onto their part of the roof. Meanwhile, Harry's team had set themselves up equally spaced apart around the castle.

"_Everyone in place?" _Harry asked using his gauntlet.

After hearing a _"Roger"_ from everyone on his team, he said, _"Good. Activate your cases and left them handle the rest, but keep an eye out for nosy students and faculty."_

His team didn't acknowledge, but Harry knew that was because they were busy following his orders. So, he bent down and put his hands on the case. After the normal scanning noise and beep, he unlatched the locks and opened the case.

"Defenses activate, but be warned, area is not completely secure." Harry instructed his case. He then turned around to watch out for wandering students and faculty.

"**Understood. Invisibility Shield=Activated." **Suddenly, the case disappeared. **"Defense Network=Activated. Scanning Area." **Unsurprisingly, Harry assumed the case projected the metal pole that scanned in a full 360 circle at first before only scanning the wall it was nearby because he saw the red grid.

"**Scan=Complete. Spots=Acquiring." **Harry stood away from the case and turned away from it to watch out for any people passing by.

"**Spots=Acquired. Area=Clear. Construction=Activated."** Harry heard behind him the sound of metal whirring and electronics for a few minutes before he heard the case say, **"Construction=Completed. Wiring=Completed. Hiding=Completed. Defenses set up. This sector is hooked up with four other sectors currently. Will mold with other cases when deployed. Defense network routed into Control Room."**

"**Self-Destruct Sequence=Activated. 5,4,3,2,1,0." **After seeing the case as a pile of ash, Harry knew that he and his team were done.

_"All teams, be notified. Perimeter is set up. When finished, proceed back to Control Room." _Harry said over his gauntlet before walking back into the Forbidden Forest and then the Chamber of Secrets and its Command Post.

There he found his team already waiting for him in their chairs.

"Good work, everyone. We had the widest area to cover, but we got it done. We'll check out the whole network once the others get back." Harry congratulated his team. A minute later, Daphne and her team arrived followed by Draco and his, Neville and his, and finally Hannah and her team.

"Nice job, guys. We managed to finish two objectives within twenty-four hours, and we're working on our teamwork. I won't go in depth about the teams, that's a job for the Elders, but I think that everyone is working well together. If anyone has any problems notify your team leader or me." Harry praised. "Now, let's see what we got. Seamus, if you would do the honors?"

"Of course." Seamus said before turning back to his console. After a minute of looking over the list of defenses, he spoke again. "The perimeter has an early warning system that covers the whole building and can shield against some spells. It also has Gatling guns and missile launchers stationed around the perimeter. All of them are relatively short-ranged. They are similar to a last line of defense. On the towers there are long-ranged missile launchers and radar towers. On the roof of the castle, I'm noticing long-ranged missile launchers and…" Seamus trailed off as he looked uncertainly at something on the screen.

"What is it Seamus?" Harry asked, concerned.

"It iss saying there are mechanical catapults and trebuchets on the roof. They're, apparently, medium-ranged." Seamus said unsurely. Everyone's eyebrows rose at this.

"I'll contact the Elders and notify them of our progress and ask them about this turn of events." Harry said as he got up and walked out of the Control Room.

"So what do we do now?" Michael asked no one in particular.

"Go over to the Training Room and practice your skills. Harry and I have some business to take care of with Deus after he talks to the Elders." Daphne said before exiting the Control Room and going to meet Deus.

Meanwhile, Harry had reached the Communications Post and had activated the holoterminal.

"Contacting Grey Base One, come in Grey Base One." He said.

"Transmit authorization code, please." A robotic voice answered.

"Transmitting now." Harry said as he operated the controls.

"Code authenticated. How may I be of service?" The computer followed through its protocols.

"Patch me through to the Elders. Priority Three." Harry replied.

"Patching you through now. Have a good day." The computer said before Edward and the other Elders appeared in their seats.

"Council, we have set up the defenses on the castle and its immediate perimeter." Harry said quickly.

"Good job. Congratulate your troops for us." Edward responded.

"Yes, sir. Although, I must ask: what is with the catapults and trebuchets?" Harry inquired.

"They are quite effective against large armies, crowds, and mobs. Since those kinds of assaults are common in the wizarding world, we believe that it is better than taking a chance." Victor replied thoroughly.

"Okay, so should I expect an attack against the school anytime soon?" Harry asked.

"We don't know of any plans to do so, but it is better to be vigilant than lazy." Helen responded.

"All right. I have nothing else to report at this juncture, but I am requesting that you send in defenses in those cases for the rest of the grounds and to make post haste on those silver bullets. I don't want to go into the forest without them. Who knows exactly what is in there." Harry said.

"Understood. We'll have those bullets to you tomorrow morning at breakfast. If that is all, though, then we will be going now." Edward said.

"I'll contact you when another objective is reached." Harry said before ending the transmission.

He then walked out of the Communications Post and proceeded down into Deus's resting chamber.

_"Ah, hello Deus. How are you on this day?" _Harry asked with a smile.

_"I am more excited than I have ever been, Harry. Although, I have to admit that I am a little nervous." _Deus confided.

_"Do not worry, my friend. You are probably the strongest and mightiest basilisk in existence. I have a feeling everything will work out." _Harry soothed.

_"You are right." _Deus realized.

_"Now, let's begin." _Harry said.

Daphne summoned a small nest made of straw onto the floor. Harry then took out a chicken egg and sat it down in the nest while Daphne summoned a toad. As she placed the toad on the egg, Harry cast a spell that bound the toad onto the egg, keeping it warm. After the spell was completed, Harry cast another spell that sped up the hatching process, and Daphne cast a spell to quicken the toxin excretion process. The reason that Basilisks form by being underneath a toad while being an egg was that the toxins excreted by the toad soaked into the shell of egg in a particular way that allowed it to change the embryo and mutate it slowly into a basilisk. As their spells took place, Harry and Daphne saw the egg turn a dark, sickly green. As soon as he saw this, Harry pulled out his other wand and cast another spell that prevented the toxin to reach a certain part of the developing embryo. If the toxins had reached that part of the developing basilisk, the creature would have become male. Finally after a full minute, Harry and Daphne canceled their spells because they saw the egg slightly swell.

A minute later, a part of the shell cracked open to reveal a part of the head of the basilisk. Daphne then cast a spell that spider webbed the whole shell. Next, she carefully removed each piece with a wave of her wand that revealed the female basilisk underneath. The creature was covered in transparent goo, so Harry cleaned it with a wave of his wand.

Harry sighed before saying, "Now all that's left is the easy part."

He and Daphne then performed two spells simultaneously. Harry cast an aging/maturity spell while Daphne cast a spell that sped up the growth process. Harry and Daphne cast their spells until they saw that the new basilisk was a little smaller than Deus.

_"There you go, Deus. You have your friend. We have done all we can. It is now up to you to teach her everything she needs. Be sure that she learns well from your extensive knowledge." _Harry paused before grinning and saying, _"Just notify us when you two have forged a name for her."_

Deus nodded but was too preoccupied to say anything for he was examining his first friend of the same species.

_"We'll see you later, Deus." _Daphne said before she and Harry left to go meet their friends in the training room.

After picking them up, all of them headed to the Great Hall for dinner and then eventually bed.

The next day, the Orderians woke up and proceeded with their morning ritual.

After breakfast, though, they waited for the owls to arrive for mail time.

As the owls poured in, the Orderians easily identified the owls that would bring them their werewolf killing ammunition among the mass of eyes, feathers, and talons. One reason for this was that they had very keen eyes. The other reason was that each of their owls was carrying a 3ft by 3ft by 3ft crates. Fortunately for them, though, Severus had seen to it that the headmaster was otherwise preoccupied. Nevertheless, Ronald glared at each of the Orderians in Gryffindor but said nothing. Harry gave a quick glance at each of his friends at the table, and he saw in all of their eyes the same thing: the need for secrecy. So, Harry and all of his friends opened the crates and hoped to any higher power out there that the Elders had made their ammunition look like something inconspicuous. Harry opened his crate and visibly looked nonchalant but on the inside was sighing.

Inside the crate, Harry saw stacks of books that consisted of muggle fiction novels. On further inspection, Harry saw that it didn't say where it came from like his rifle.

Ronald looked like he wanted to desperately say something, but he had a feeling about the consequences so he remained silent.

Harry stood up, fastened the lid on the crate, and then left for his marriage suite with Daphne coming up from behind him. A minute after Harry had left; all of the students that were Orderians had left the Great Hall to unpack the true bounty of their crates. After disposing of the crates and packing the books into their trunks, they hid the boxes of silver bullets in their robes and traveled down into the Chamber of Secrets. From there, each of them proceeded into the designated armoury that Salazar had left his descendants. Harry had modified the room to house not just swords, daggers, maces, and other medieval weapons but rifles, pistols, RPGs, and modern bullets as well.

"Are we going out there right now?" Seamus asked after stocking his boxes into a new section of the ammo locker.

The ammo locker was actually a series of lockers that lined one whole wall of the room. Inside, ammunition was separated by caliber and type. The Orderians had corrosive, non-corrosive, musket ball, rimmed, untraceable, and now silver ammunition of all calibers.

"I really want to, but I don't think it would be a good idea to disappear in the middle of the day. We have already given Dumbledore reason enough for suspicion." Harry replied.

"Yeah. It would probably be better to go on a night op." Draco stated.

"Draco, everyone knows that you just love doing night ops, so shut up." Seamus said.

"Oh, stop it you two before I have to hex some sense into you." Daphne threatened.

"I'll send Umbra and Rex into the Forest to scout ahead. Daphne, are you willing to send Regina?" Harry asked his soul mate.

"Only if she stays with Rex." She responded.

"Fine by me." Harry nodded. "I'll see if Deus would be willing to see for us as well. He and his new friend could easily look around without worrying about any threats."

"You want to release two basilisks into the Forbidden Forest? Are you sure that's a good idea, especially since one of them was just hatched last night?" Daphne asked in shock.

"I'm not completely sure, but I know that Deus will be able to ensure that she behaves herself. Besides, they'll be looking deeper into the Forest. I'm going to keep Umbra closer to castle, and our dragons will be scanning above the trees." Harry explained. Daphne seemed pleased with his answer so she nodded her acceptance.

"Wait, what do you mean by Deus's new friend? Did you guys create a basilisk?" Neville asked in disbelief.

"What did you guys think we were doing after I contacted the Elders?" Harry paused for a moment. "Wait… Please don't answer that."

"Do you guys want to meet her?" Daphne asked.

"I don't have anything better to do." Blaise said. Everyone else shrugged their shoulders to say they were fine either way.

"All right. Follow us." Harry said before leading everyone out the door, down the halls, and into the Basilisk Den.

_"Harry, what are you and your friends doing here?" _Deus asked as he slithered up. His friend was nowhere to be found.

_"We came here to see how you and your new companion are doing. I also need to ask you two for something." _Harry responded.

_"Of course. Let me get her. Basiliscum!" _Deus called.

A female basilisk slithered in from an adjoining cave. _"Yes, Deus?"_

_"We have company my dear."_ Deus replied.

"I really hate how I can't understand a thing you guys say. All I hear is hissing, and sometimes it sounds like you're pissed at each other." Draco commented.

Harry ignored Draco and turned to Deus. _"I see you went with Basiliscum, and that our spells paid off."_

_"Yes, they did. I wish to express my gratitude of your helping me be born and grown. Deus has told me that many in the world see our species as evil." _Basiliscum said to Harry.

_"Yes, but I do not classify species as inheritantly evil or not. I judge organisms by their actions. You are welcome, though, for our help. It was a pleasure bringing happiness to this old creature." _Harry said.

_"Now, you said you wanted something from us?" _Deus asked.

_"Yes. Would you two mind scouting the Forbidden Forest for creatures? You two would be unstoppable deeper inside the forest." _Harry asked politely.

_"How long would we be doing this task for you?" _Deus asked.

_"It would be just until tonight." _Harry replied truthfully.

Deus sat thinking for a moment. _"Would we not have to go if I just told you about the creatures that lie in the Dark Forest?"_

_"Absolutely. What intelligent life lies in there?" _Harry implored.

_"Besides normal forest critters, I have noticed centaurs, unicorns, some trolls, and some huge spiders. There is especially one of those spiders that is very large and smart despite it being younger and smaller than me." _Deus replied. _"Lately, though, I have noticed something killing the unicorns. I have never seen the creature, but I know it is nothing like anything I have ever seen in the Forest."_

_"Thank you, Deus. Could you tell me where those huge spiders are?" _Harry asked.

_"You cannot go in there without us. We do not know their name, but they seem to fear us more than anything. If you are venturing into the Forest, allow us to accompany you when you face these huge spiders. We have not feasted on anything so large." _Deus argued.

_"All right. We will leave after curfew. Be ready for us." _Harry said.

_"Of course. We will see you soon." _Deus said before Harry and his friends walked out of the Basilisk Den.

"So, I guess we're not sending our familiars." Harry commented as they started the trek out of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Why not?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Deus told me that there are only "huge spiders", trolls, centaurs, and unicorns, although, something is killing and feasting on the unicorns. Because of the spiders being very scared of them, they're coming with us." Harry explained.

"I don't like the sound of that." Dean said.

"Yeah. Only the wickedest of things would kill, let alone eat a unicorn." Padma agreed.

"It doesn't matter. We'll go in armed to the teeth. In the meantime, I want Hermione, Dean, and the Ravenclaws to look around the library for a name for these huge spiders. Knowing their name would allow us to research them." Harry said as they reached the stairs.

"You know we only have a few hours, right?" Dean asked.

"I know, but if we manage to find out more about them in the meantime, it'll be worth it. If we don't find anything, then we just go in prepared for everything. Let me know what you find at dinner." Harry said before exiting down the opposite way from the library. Everyone excluding Hermione, Dean, and the Ravenclaws followed up behind him.

"He really is starting to pull some weight, huh?" Dean asked no one in particular.

A couple hours later, the researchers came into the Great Hall for dinner. Dean and Hermione said good-bye to the four Ravens before sitting down with Harry, Daphne, Neville, and Seamus.

Harry noted that Hermione had a book in her hands. "I see you were successful.

"Yeah. We managed to find out their name and then a little bit more." Dean said while Hermione opened the book and turned to the needed page.

"The ministry classifies it with five X's. The reason for this is that their fangs are highly venomous. People that have seen it say that it resembles huge wolf spiders. It is called the Acromantula." Hermione said after gazing over the section of reading for a second. "They also can talk in human tongue, but they also eat human flesh."

"We also found out why Acromantulas hate basilisks." Dean added. "We managed to discover it after initially searching for our friends, the kings of the snakes. We thought that since Deus had said that they were terrified of him that that might help us find them. It actually helped a lot as you can see. The reason Acromantulas hate basilisks is that Acromantulas have eight eyes with no eyelids, so they are quite susceptible to a basilisk's deadly gaze. That is the main reason if you ignore a basilisk's size and tough, rigid skin."

"Good work. We'll leave right after curfew to go Acromantula hunting." Harry said before the conversation turned back to what had been being discussed.

That night, Harry and Daphne quickly dressed in their Grey Assassin robes and waited for the chime that signified curfew. Once the bell had rung, Harry and Daphne quickly shadow traveled into the Armoury in the Chamber of Secrets. There, Harry fastened a sniper rifle and two katana swords onto his back. He swung a modified AR-15 way down low. It was modified to act more like an AK-47 and fire after being put through anything. He also had two Berretta 92s at his sides and two others on the back of his trousers. He kept his wands in secret pockets hidden on the inside of his sleeves. He didn't need any more ammunition thanks to a nifty spell the Order had created.

This spell once cast could never be unbroken but did not cost the caster any magic. The spell once placed allowed a gun to automatically reload once the hammer or slide was pulled back. The Order had found this very useful with automatic weapons when used to cover a wide area.

Daphne had the same weapons as Harry but didn't have two swords and a sniper rifle attached to her back. Instead, she had a bow and quiver filled with metal, poison-tipped arrows.

Once their friends had arrived and geared up, Harry and Daphne lead them into the tunnel from which they would depart. Deus and Basiliscum were already there, waiting for them. Harry then waved his hand, revealing the wall made of stone to be an illusion.

"Let's go." Harry said as he raised his cowl over his head. His friends did the same.

Deus hissed something to Harry. After he finished, Harry laughed.

"What?" Seamus asked.

"He says to ride him and Basiliscum. They want us to get on their backs." Harry chuckled.

"You serious?" Justin asked. If he didn't have his cowl raised, Harry suspected he would have seen his eyebrow raised as well.

"Just get on." Harry said before climbing up Deus's head and onto his back. Harry's friends then followed suit and mounted Deus and Basiliscum. Daphne rode at the front of Basiliscum while Harry did the same with Deus.

_"Let's ride!" _Harry said before the basilisks whisked them off into the depths of the forest.

After a few minutes, Harry saw their destination. The place was literally crawling with spiders. As they approached, Harry also noted that the Acromantulas had finally spotted them and were up in a panic.

_"Go straight into the nest. We'll eliminate any Acromantulas that we pass." _Harry told Deus who relayed it over to Basiliscum. _"Don't worry. You'll still get to eat whatever we kill."_

Harry then signaled his friends to ready themselves. They nodded and held their choice of weapons in their hands. Harry exchanged his assault rifle for his sniping one. He then looked down his scope and picked out the first Acromantula of the night to die. Hopefully, the rest of its colony would follow suit by the end of the night. Harry found his target and cocked back the bolt. After checking the range on the scope, he held his breath and fired. Not even a second later, the fairly large Acromantula exploded in a glob of green ooze. The other snipers on the basilisks' backs had followed Harry's example, and now all of them were opening fire on any Acromantula they could find. Once in range, the others swung their assault rifles, RPGs, or Gatling guns forward and followed suit of their companions and open fired. They, however, were slightly less picky about their targets. Immediately after penetrating the Acromantulas' ranks, the Orderians jumped off of the basilisks and proceeded to continue using or start using their automatic weapons or magic to start killing the creatures. Harry, though, had done what he usually did and went by his own, separate rules. Instead of using wands or rifles, Harry had unsheathed his katana swords, that he had forged himself, and was using them to carve a path of blood through the mass of hair, limbs, eyes, and flesh. Occasionally, though, Harry would unleash a _'Reducto' _or some fire magic against his arachnid opponents. Explosions, bullets, blood, hair, and debris permeated the air, and the Orderians loved it.

Well, almost all of them. The four newest Assassins had been left at home. The reason for this was that the Elders, Harry, and his friends were concerned about sending such newly recruited children into a fight as dangerous as the one taking place in the Dark Forest. At that moment, the four Ravenclaws were called Orderians but were still mostly children.

While their four newest friends slept, the other Assassins at Hogwarts had been acting as exterminators and were starting to penetrate deeper into the Acromantula colony.

"I think the whole colony know we're here!" Seamus shouted over to Harry was behind him and had his back facing Seamus's back.

"No! Really? I wouldn't have thought thirteen people using guns and riding basilisks would catch their attention!" Harry grinned as he cleaved an Acromantula in two and then shot another with one of his Berettas.

Finally after a few more minutes of fighting, the Assassins had wiped out the exterior defenses and were now moving through the webbed dome that the Acromantulas must have created. Instead of cutting their own path, however, they merely followed after the basilisks that were killing the creepy critters their own way. They used their bodies to crush them, and they also went the more traditional route and ate the pesky arachnids while their eyes killed without fail. Harry had finally had enough of all of these Acromantulas and decided to try out one of his animagus forms.

"Seamus! Blaise! Hermione! Justin!" Harry called to his team. "Cover me!" His teammates nodded their understanding and quickly fought a way over to him.

"I'm going to try something to speed this up! Just make sure I'm not attacked in the process!"

Harry looked each member of his team in the eye to see if they understood. He found what he was looking for and then closed his eyes to concentrate. After a few seconds, Harry started to change. His arms and legs molded into his body. His head turned upright so his spinal chord connected to the back of his skull. His eyes turned a sickly yellow. His body grew longer. His skin grew darker and rougher. Finally, Harry's transformation was complete. He was a basilisk. He measured from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail forty feet. He was also proportionally smaller than Deus.

"Whoa, Harry! You can turn into a basilisk?" Justin asked in surprise.

"You know he can't answer you when he's an animagus, right?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry."

Harry then slithered past his friends and followed the example of the basilisks to kill the Acromantulas.

After a few minutes of penetrating and killing the vast number of Acromantulas, Harry, Deus, Basiliscum, and the Assassins found the center of the nest and the colony's leader.

_"Deus, Basiliscum, kill all of them but leave the leader to us."_ Harry hissed before killing his way to the hugest Acromantula he had ever seen. His friends followed close behind him.

Before reaching the giant spider, Harry transformed back into his human form.

"I know you can understand me, so I'll make this simple. Where did you come from?" Harry asked coolly despite the amount of fighting still going on. He noticed, though, that his friends were right behind him and were not preoccupied by the spiders. Deus and Basiliscum were the ones who were still fighting.

"How dare you come in here and attack my nest! You have killed my wife and all of my children! Hagrid will kill you for this!" The huge Acromantula said in a slow deep voice.

"Hagrid will not know of this, besides you don't even know our names. Now what is yours, and where did you come from?" Harry shouted at the end.

"My name is Aragog and I am king of the spiders. I have lived here for almost fifty years. A distant traveler brought me to Hagrid who fed me and raised me in the castle before releasing me here where I have lived ever since." Aragog answered after a moment of silence.

"Thank you. We didn't want to eliminate an invading species from an area without knowing where it came form." Harry said before nodding to Daphne.

She nodded in reply and took her bow into her hands. She then drew out one of her arrows, notched it on the line, and pulled it back before letting the arrow fly straight into the old spiders brain.

"Nice shot. We'll let Deus and Basiliscum clean up the mess. I have a feeling they'll be feeling full for a long time." Harry commented.

"Then let's get out of here." Daphne said before the whole group turned away from the old, dead spider and walked through the destruction they created back into the Chamber of Secrets.

"You guys go to bed. Daphne and I will contact the Elders and notify them of our progress in the Forest." Harry said after they walked back into the tunnel.

Everyone nodded in reply before shadow traveling back to his or her beds.

Two minutes later, Harry was waiting for the computer to patch him through to the Elders.

"Hello. I trust another objective was achieved?" Edward asked.

"Yes, another was. We killed off an Acromantula colony that was growing in the Forest. Apparently, the games keeper released the leader into the Forest while he was in school." Harry replied.

"How did you know they were Acromantulas?" Helen asked.

"We asked that old basilisk I told you about. He told us we should expect unicorns, some trolls, and centaurs. Although, he did also warn us about something killing and feasting on the unicorns." Harry said.

The council thought a moment before Edward spoke up. "Along with the other defenses, we'll send you guys cases for a Transport Room on Monday. After you get it and relations with the centaurs set up, we'll send some mercenaries to you guys, so we may find this evil threat."

"Understood. We'll work on other objectives until the cases arrive." Harry replied.

"Good. Notify us when they are completed." Edward said before ending the transmission.

"This has been a long ass three days, huh?" Harry asked Daphne after they apparated into their suite.

**AN: Hello, my fiction reading fans. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As you can see, they are getting more interesting as well as getting more action packed. I want to thank all of you who are still reading and those of you especially who left reviews for me. It is always a pleasure to see that I still have readers out there. I do have a piece of news for everyone out there before I go, though. I wanted to notify everyone that I am looking for a beta to bounce ideas off of. I have to admit that I am a little confused right now about how I am going to play the second book even though I have a better idea about the third. So if you are interested, please PM me. Any thoughts on my story are always appreciated and if you do have, don't hesitate to review. Thanks and as always: _Occidere Prima Vel Occidi._**


	16. Back Behind Friendly Lines

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter_ series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Communication Through the Mind or Communicator or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 16**

It was now the week before Christmas break, and the Grey Assassins at Hogwarts had been busy. They had managed to form an alliance with the hesitant centaurs, but after seeing the destruction the Orderians had wreaked onto the Acromantulas, the centaurs were more than happy to help the destroyers of that infestation. As the Elders had promised, more defense cases had arrived on the following Monday and were set up the day after all around the perimeter of the Hogwarts grounds. As all this went on in the Forbidden Forest, the base inside the Chamber of Secrets grew as well. Harry and his friends had quickly installed the Transport Room a few days later, although it hadn't been used by anyone other than the Assassins stationed at Hogwarts. At the other Grey Base One, Harry and his friends appeared more often than they ever had before to enhance and grow their range of skills. The weekend after the Battle of the Acromantulas as it had been called, Harry and his friends had met with the older Orderians. After a couple awkward minutes, the members had smiled and revealed themselves to have been jokers when they were young. While this normally would have relaxed somebody, this just made Harry and Draco more nervous for they knew they had entered the big leagues.

Inevitably, an ensuing war had broken out during the weekends, and there were casualties on both sides to be certain. Each of the pranksters in the war shivered every time they thought about what the other side had pulled on the other, but everyone had stored the pranks in their minds to be used on other unfortunate parties.

Although their classes had gotten tougher as first term progressed, Harry and his friends still felt that their classes were severely lacking.

"It can't be legal to have these classes be so boring." Harry commented.

"Don't worry, Harry." Fred Weasley said as he and his brother stepped up behind him.

"It'll only get worse!" George finished before both of them had a laugh.

"I can only imagine. I wonder how school would be with our textbooks in place." Harry's mind drifted off for a second before the twins brought him back to reality.

"Harry, you know there is a time for work…" George began.

"And to play, but…" Fred continued.

"Mostly to play!" Both of them said together.

"Don't you guys have some work to do? Remember last weekend?" Harry asked with a grin.

Suddenly both of the Weasley twins got bright in the face and hurried off muttering ideas to each other.

Daphne sighed. "You guys are going to kill each other one of these days."

Draco shrugged. "Not that bad a way to die."

Harry hissed right before Daphne's fist connected with Draco's shoulder.

Daphne then turned to Harry.

"I didn't say a thing." Harry defended himself. "I just saw it happening and knew I couldn't stop it."

"Eh, it didn't hurt to much anyway." Draco said, but as Daphne raised her fist once more he quickly replied, "Sorry!"

"I thought you would know better by now than to mess with Daphne, Draco." Tracey stated.

"Let's just move on." Seamus replied as he joined the others.

"Where were you two?" Draco asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Oh shut it!" Seamus said as he shoved the blonde boy.

"What are you going to do about?" Draco responded, bulking himself up.

Harry then walked around Daphne and Tracey before slapping Seamus and Draco on their heads. He then sighed while shaking his head and walked back to Daphne's side.

"So what are your plans for Christmas break?" Harry asked everyone.

"I'm going home to see my mum and my step dad." Dean said.

"Me too, except I'm just seeing my birth parents." Hermione replied.

"Same." Justin said.

"That will probably happen to me too because of mum's new boyfriend." Blaise replied.

"Pft, England. I'll be heading over to Ireland." Seamus said proudly.

"Since our old manor burnt down, I'll be at the old cottage." Susan replied.

"I'm heading back to India until a couple of days before we return." Padma said.

"I'll be staying in my family manor." Terry said.

"Me too." Anthony stated.

"Same." Michael replied.

"Damn, is anyone not, because I am too." Tracey asked.

"Same." Hannah stated.

"Same." Ernie answered.

"Same." Neville said. "It'll be such a pain to be with Gran rather than with you guys."

"Same." Draco replied. "It'll be interesting to see how my father reacts to me being friends with you guys to say the least."

"I bet. I am certainly glad I won't have to deal with that." Harry said.

"So what are your plans, Harry?" Draco asked, appearing to be offended.

"Probably be where I was before Hogwarts or just stay here." Harry replied. He didn't trust there not to be any prying ears. "To be honest I haven't been giving it much thought because of everything that has been going on. Besides, we still haven't found that unicorn killer.

"What are you talking about? You have to come stay at the manor with my family and me!" Daphne said, appalled at Harry spending Christmas at basically a military base.

Each of the girls gave Daphne a look at her reaction.

"Eh. The place isn't that bad during Christmas. They actually decorate the whole place. Yeah, there's trees and…" Harry drifted off because he didn't know of anything else involved with Christmas.

Everyone gave Harry a look that said, "Really? Just, really?"

"Okay, so it isn't that festive. But, I would really hate to impose." Harry said.

"You know that there is still a week to the holidays, right? Besides, we need to stay together for the soul bond." Daphne argued.

"All right." Harry relented.

"Great! I'll go send my family a letter right now!" Daphne exclaimed before hugging Harry and running off towards the Owlery.

"I am really glad that I don't have to deal with _that_." Draco bounced Harry's words back at him with a grin. Tracey went up to Draco and punched him in the same shoulder Daphne had done a few moments ago.

"Ow! What was that for?" Draco asked while rolling his shoulder.

"I just thought I'd fill in for Daphne and give you what you deserved." Tracey shrugged.

"You think he would have learned by now." Dean said to Seamus.

Everyone laughed. They didn't entirely laugh at Dean's statement, however. Most of the laughter was directed at Draco's facial response.

"So you're not going to spend Christmas with your Dad, Harry?" Michael asked curiously.

"Oh, he'll definitely show up. If I know him, he will probably knock on the door Christmas Eve. You know how he likes to be early." Harry chuckled.

"No, we don't Harry. You are closer to Severus than even Draco, and he is his godson!" Tracey replied.

"Really?" Harry turned to Draco.

"Yeah. Before we were eight, he spent a lot more time at Malfoy Manor." Draco said sadly.

"I'll see what I can do to change that." Harry said before thinking for a moment. His face then brightened up.

"Uh-oh!" Ernie said.

"He has an idea!" Justin pretended to look scared.

"I don't know why you guys are worried; Draco on the other hand is the one who should be concerned." Neville replied.

"What are you going to do, Harry?" Draco asked with a sigh. Harry had ignored everyone's comments for he had been working his plan through.

"Something that might make all of our Christmas days a little bit better." Harry said before dragging Draco off to find Daphne; he was whispering to his blonde haired friend the whole way.

"So how are the Kenmare Kestrels doing?" Justin asked Seamus.

That Friday night, the Grey Assassins packed up for holiday break.

"You think that Dumbledore will try to bug the place again?" Daphne asked as they prepared.

"I wouldn't hold it against him, but you think he wouldn't because of what happened last time." Harry replied as he set out his clothes for tomorrow.

"He could have thought we accidentally stepped on it." Daphne shrugged before seeing Harry's choice of clothing. "Are you really going to wear that?"

Harry had set out a pair of black jeans, red long sleeve t-shirt, his black shoes, and his black leather jacket.

"What's wrong with it? Its not like it doesn't match." Harry asked, confused.

"You do remember that you are not going back to Grey Base, right?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, so? This isn't respectable?" Harry asked, even more confused.

"Pick out something a bit more fancy. I know you prefer to wear something more practical than something fancy, but our families have been friends since the beginning of the Greengrasses. Will you please get over it?" Daphne asked, getting exasperated at the end.

"All right. All right." Harry gave in before taking off the jeans, jacket, and shirt. He then went into his suitcase and found a white short sleeve t-shirt, white long sleeve button down, and a pair of black pants. He brought back his leather jacket.

"Will this do?" Harry asked.

"What is it with you and that jacket?" Daphne responded.

"Leather is very useful." Harry replied before asking, "The outfit?"

"Get rid of the leather, replace it with a proper coat, and you will be okay." Daphne answered before heading into the bathroom to change for bed.

Harry sighed and pulled out one of his sports jackets. It was black as night, and Harry thought it would work well with his outfit. He left it on top of his other clothes. He then jumped into bed.

A minute later, Daphne came out and examined his choice of a coat. He merely raised an eyebrow to question her about his choice of a coat.

"I guess it will do." She replied with a smile before she went over and slipped underneath the covers.

"Night." Harry said.

"Night." She replied.

The next morning Harry and Daphne quickly awoke due to their internal clocks at six o'clock. Harry automatically went into the living room to wake their familiars and to start a fire while Daphne went into the bathroom to change and get ready. When she came out, Harry was too tired to look at her outfit, but instead he picked up his pile of clothes, went into the bathroom, and did all of the necessary preparations for the day.

When he came out, Harry noticed Daphne's outfit and was thoroughly surprised. She was wearing dark blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket.

"What was all that about being fancy for?" Harry asked.

"I'm changing on the train of course." She replied before shrinking her trunk and putting it in her pocket. Harry then mimicked her actions and did the same.

"Well, I guess we should get breakfast before we go, huh?" Harry asked with a sigh.

"Let's go." She replied before going into the living room.

"Come on, guys." Harry said to their familiars as they entered. They had already eaten. Quickly, the familiars launched themselves into their owners' skins, becoming tattoos.

Before they left, however, Daphne noticed a note on the coffee table. She quickly read it to find that Severus wanted everyone to meet them in his class before they left.

"We'll eat, get the others, and meet him." Harry replied to Daphne's unasked question. He had read it with her through the soul bond.

Harry then opened the door for Daphne and followed her out. They quickly traveled to the Great Hall to meet with the others before they left. They had no need to say good-bye to Deus, Basiliscum, Jericho, Acquilina, and Meles since they had already gave them their best wishes.

As Harry and Daphne entered, they noticed that only the Orderians were present in the Great Hall.

Harry then made a quick decision and nodded toward the Ravenclaw table. Everyone's eyebrows shot up at this, but they still got up and sat down together at the indicated table.

"What about Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.

"I don't care what he or the rules say. Besides, we won't even be sitting that long." Harry replied.

"There is no way I am going to be outside in this weather. I can handle it, but I try to avoid it when it is unnecessary." Justin said definitively.

"Don't worry. Harry wasn't saying that." Daphne replied.

"I was going to say that we should go wait in Dad's classroom." Harry finished. "He left a note for us to meet him there."

"Are we going to really work during break?" Michael asked. "I am loyal to the organization, but I still have a childhood to experience.

"I don't think that's the case, and I don't blame you for not wanting to work during the holidays. But, the Elders have rarely sent me on a mission during this time; I don't think that they would start now." Harry nodded.

"So, let's eat quickly and find out what's going on." Neville said.

Everyone nodded in reply and consumed their food quickly but somehow managed to keep up their table manners.

After they finished, they all stood up without a word and left quickly for the dungeons. Each knew the other well enough to not need any cues.

Harry didn't bother knocking on the door when they arrived.

"Hello, everyone. I see you got my message." Severus said when they entered.

"Yeah. What is going on?" Neville asked, all business.

"No need for the serious tone, Neville. I just wanted to wish you all happy holidays and to offer you a place to talk before you have to depart for the train." Severus said in a voice that many of them were still getting used to, a kind one.

"Thanks, Dad. Are you sure, though, that the Elders have nothing for us?" Harry asked knowingly.

"Actually, there are a couple things." Severus replied.

Justin sighed. "You just had to ask.

"They have been conversing with the goblins at the Gringotts in Diagon Alley about a break in that occurred shortly before you began school, maybe you read about it in the _Daily Prophet._" Severus began.

"No, but what did they get?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"Nothing. Apparently, Rubeus Hagrid had emptied the vault earlier that day. The goblins have informed us that he was acting under Dumbledore's orders." Severus continued.

"Where do we come in?" Neville asked, still serious.

"You guys are aware that the third floor corridor on the right is off limits, correct?" Severus asked. Everyone nodded confirmation. "Well. Shortly after that event, Dumbledore asked many of the teachers, including me, to set up some obstacles to guard… something. The Elders do not like the proximity of these two events and believe that what Hagrid withdrew from the vault is now here at Hogwarts. They also want to know if it is important enough for us to take."

"Yeah. While exploring the castle a couple months ago, Hogwarts told me about that. I forgot to tell you." Harry replied.

"Why not just take it, then?" Ernie asked curiously.

"The Elders fear that once through the obstacles that they will be unfixable, making the old coot aware of your presence. So, the Elders have been conversing with the goblins to see what it is. They are insisting that they can't inform us, though." Severus finished.

"So, what do you need from us?" Harry asked.

"Try finding out from Hagrid what it is. Minerva and I would be too suspicious while you guys could easily come up close enough to extract the information. We need this accomplished within a week when you guys return." Severus answered.

"Anything else we should know?" Draco asked.

Severus gave one of his more commonplace smiles and said, "The Elders wish you all happy holidays."

Everyone nodded before talking amongst themselves while Severus attended to some business in the back. A couple hours later, he came out and said, "You guys must go now if you wish to catch the carriages! You are running late! Happy holidays!"

Everyone said their good-byes quickly before rushing out of the class and up the stairs. At the top, however, they all went into a regular walk toward the Entrance Hall.

"I can't believe he thought he could fool us." Harry chuckled.

"What does he think we are, forgetful?" Draco responded. Harry and some of the others had watches of some sort that had them being so early that they would have beaten the carriages arriving. Checking their gauntlets, they found the same result. They waited inside the Entrance Hall until it was five minutes before the carriages were to arrive.

When the thestral-pulled carriages arrived, the Orderians loaded up by house except Harry and Daphne who shared a carriage.

"How is this going to work?" Draco asked after they all offloaded, indicating the train.

"What do you mean by that, Draco?" Harry grinned.

"I mean… you already have it figured out. Don't you?" Draco began but realized what Harry was grinning at.

"What would make you say that?" Harry asked while walking past Draco.

"Arsehole."

Everyone ignored the small exchange and loaded up on the train. When everyone decided on the compartment that Harry had used on his first time on the train, the aforementioned young Assassin cast a charm on the compartment, turning it into a lounge big enough for all of them. There were even two sections squared off for people to change. Each had a label: "Boys" and "Girls". The lounge itself consisted of a huge round couch that surrounded a table and small bar that was outfitted with sodas.

"Show-off." Draco murmured before everyone sat down at the table.

Before sitting down, however, Harry cast a charm on the compartment to prevent any interruptions.

"The changing rooms were a nice touch." Tracey stated before they all started to converse once more. Inevitably, Seamus brought out a card deck. Seamus set one up for the boys while Harry tried to persuade the girls to join. Although largely unsuccessful, he did manage to get Daphne to join him. After some time, Daphne got up and went to the changing stalls. Everyone else was all ready to meet his or her families.

"Why is she changing?" Draco asked.

"To screw with me." Harry replied sorely.

"What happened?" Draco inquired.

"She kept changing my outfit, saying that it wasn't fancy enough to meet her parents for a better meeting." Harry sighed.

The boys nodded their understanding before they continued with their game.

A few minutes later, Daphne came back out in a black skirt with a white blouse and black heels. She had a small overcoat on as well.

"You see why I wanted you dressed up like you are now?" Daphne asked before noticing that Harry had his sports coat unbuttoned along with two more than needed on his button-down. "Well not exactly dressed up."

"Sorry." Harry said with a slight blush before fixing his shirt and coat. The boys would have chuckled if they didn't want to be hurt in any number of ways.

"So, do you think Severus thinks that we were too early?" Neville tried changing the subject.

"I honestly have no clue." Draco laughed.

"He probably fell for it." Harry said curtly.

Everyone looked at Harry for a further explanation.

After a moment, Harry said, "I'm surprised none of you have asked me to clarify." He was still looking at his cards.

Everyone remained silent still.

"He would not have been able to see us without being seen by us. That would be one reason for him not to try anything. The only other way would be for him to try to look at our trackers. We counteract that by not having them on unless necessary. Dad's generation never did that, so it would be logical thinking that he would have thought he could've just checked on his gauntlet.

Everyone nodded his or her understanding.

"Let's change the game. I think Daphne and Harry might be using that mind link they have." Seamus chuckled.

"What you want to play then?" Blaise asked.

"Blackjack?" Justin offered.

"Rummy?" Seamus suggested.

"How about head band?" Harry asked.

This earned Harry many skeptical looks.

"You put a card on your head and try to guess what it is. You can ask questions but they can only be 'yes' or 'no' ones." Harry explained.

"And, you think that you and Daphne don't have an advantage in this how?" Blaise asked.

"Yeah… Kinda forgot about that." Harry realized.

Seamus looked at Blaise. "Rummy."

"Too many people." Blaise shot down.

"Target practice?" Harry offered.

"You really want to pull out guns in here?" Anthony asked, unsurprised at Harry's newest suggestion.

"Why not? Our guns are magically silenced." Harry shrugged.

"What are we hitting?" Draco asked, pulling out his Sig P226 and pulling back the hammer.

"Bottles on the bar. Last to miss a bottle loses." Harry replied before pulling out his Berretta and pulling back its hammer.

"Count me in." Neville said doing the same as his friends had done except with a Browning 9mm Hi-Power.

"Looks like we have a little contest." Harry smiled.

"Everybody place your bets! Place your bets now!" Seamus called.

"We have the Pompous Prince from the slithering snake pit! The one, the only, Draco Malfoy!" Blaise announced, following Seamus's lead.

"Next, we have the Courageous Centurion of the lions' den! We have Neville 'very long' Longbottom!" Dean joked. His last statement earned a glare from Neville.

Seamus then dimmed the lights. "Here he is, folks! The one you have been really waiting for! The shooter whose nerves couldn't be looser, the boy who needs no introduction but is getting one anyway, the boy with already too many titles! Here he is… Harry Potter!" Seamus's voice grew more and more intense as he spoke. When he finished speaking, Seamus shined a sole light on his wager.

Harry, Neville, and Draco all looked at the announcers. Each of them had glares that would make a horde of dementors stop in their tracks.

"Five minutes to Platform 9 ¾! Please get ready to disembark!" The conductor announced over the intercom.

"It looks like this shoot-out will have to put off for another day, everyone! We would give you your money back, but nobody ever made any bets!" Seamus continued in his announcer voice.

"You sure that it needs to wait?" Harry asked with a grin.

Everyone, excluding the three participants, turned towards the bar. On it, there were fifteen broken bottles.

"Who won?" Seamus asked, his voice had returned to normal.

"All three of us." Harry replied before cleaning up the mess and getting rid of the bar.

"Wait for a good line of people to form?" Draco asked as they returned back to their seats.

"No need. Good thinking, but let's beat the crowds." Neville replied.

Everyone agreed with Neville and said goodbye to each other in case they were separated before going into the hallway and moving toward the exit. On the way out Harry returned the compartment to normal. When they felt the train starting to slow, the Orderians braced themselves for the inevitable bounce back. After it occurred, everyone quickly exited the train. The people going into the muggle world had already enlarged their luggage to their normal size. Everyone then proceeded quickly to where they would meet his or her family, and everyone met his or her family at the same time. Right before converging, though, everyone exchanged a nod goodbye.

"Hello, Lord and Lady Greengrass. It is a pleasure to meet you once again. How was your journey here?" Harry asked, trying to be as respectful as possible to please his betrothed as he raised his hand for a shake.

"I thought I told you last time, Harry, to just call me Anton, and it was ordinary" The man smiled as he shook Harry's hand.

"I thought it would have been better to be respectful and safe rather than be risky with informality." Harry admitted while shaking Iris's hand.

"Hi, Mum. Hey, Dad." Daphne said while hugging her parents.

"You two look very nice. What is the occasion?" Iris smiled as well.

"I think Daphne would be better off explaining that." Harry said, turning to his soul mate.

"I wanted to make a good second impression." Daphne confessed.

"Well, let's continue this conversation at home. Your sister has been missing you dearly, Daphne." Anton said with a smile before leading the procession of four to the floos that would lead to Greengrass Manor.

Harry spotted Draco conversing with his father, Lucius, who looked less than pleased at his firstborn. Harry gave his partner a wink of encouragement before disappearing in the flames.

'_It's easy for him to be so cocky. He's not the one with a pissed off father.'_ Draco thought.

"Where is your luggage?" Anton asked after they appeared in the living room Harry had met Anton and Iris a couple months ago.

"Daphne?" Harry beckoned.

She then removed her luggage from her pocket as did Harry. He then waved his hand to have it enlarge.

"Impressive, but aren't you worried about the age laws?" Iris asked, concerned. "I don't want my future son-in-law in Azkaban."

"Don't worry. Harry is emancipated, although we are trying to keep it a secret." Daphne answered.

"May I bring your bags, young ma'am and sir?" Susan asked as she popped in.

"Uh…" Harry was not used to being waited on.

"Yes. It would be wonderful if you could bring Daphne's bags to her room and Harry's to the guest room." Anton replied.

"Daddy, have you forgotten?" Daphne asked sweetly. At her father's confused look she continued, "The soul bond? Harry and I must sleep in the same bed."

Anton grimaced slightly but quickly managed to cover it up. "Yes. I guess I had forgotten. Susan, would you please bring Harry's things to Daphne's room as well as her things."

"Of course, sir." Susan said before collecting their things and popping away.

"Now, I bet you two are starving after such a long train ride." Iris said before leading everyone to the dining room.

"Astoria! Time for supper!" Anton called.

A small voice could be faintly heard. "Coming!"

A minute later, a young girl, that looked like Iris except younger and with brown hair, came into the room.

"Daphne!" She yelled before running up to her older sister and giving her a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Tory. How have you been?" Daphne asked. Harry smiled. He was seeing a side of Daphne he didn't often see with his own eyes.

"Good; how is Hogwarts? Is it as huge as they say?" Astoria asked excitedly.

"Oh, yes it is. Don't worry, though, it isn't as scary as they say… although there is the potions master." Daphne grinned at Harry.

'Oh shut up.' Harry said over their mind link, but he still held a smile on his face.

"What is wrong with the potions master?" Astoria asked, slightly frightened.

"Nothing, dear. Your sister is just messing with her betrothed." Anton gave Daphne a look that said, "Stop messing with your sister."

"You're getting married?" Astoria squealed.

"Yes, Tory. Do you remember when Mum and Dad told you about that betrothal contract I had?" Daphne asked. Astoria nodded in reply. "Well, he found me on the train to Hogwarts."

"Yes, he did. And you have been quite rude to him not saying hello." Iris chided.

"I don't mind, Iris. I can understand family missing family." Harry left the unstated unsaid. Another reason, though, that Harry didn't mind being noticed was that his Orderian teachers had trained him not to be easily noticed and this was helped by the ritual Harry undertook when he was eight.

"Nonsense. In my mind, you are already family." Iris said.

"Hello, my name is Astoria." The girl said as she came up to her sister's future husband.

"Hi, Astoria. My name is Harry. Your sister has told me a lot about you." Harry slightly lied. He didn't know if Astoria knew about soul bonds.

'Don't worry she knows.' Daphne encouraged on the mind link.

"So, you're going to marry my sister?" She asked.

Harry's smile grew wider and said, "Yes. We have a soul bond."

"When are you guys getting married?" Astoria asked innocently.

"Uh…" Harry didn't know what to say. "I'm not exactly sure."

"Why?" She pried. Harry noticed that Daphne had a smirk on her face.

"Yes. Why have you not even proposed to my eldest yet?" Anton asked trying to sound innocent.

"Lord and Lady Greengrass, may I please talk to you alone for a minute or two?" Harry asked politely.

The couple looked at each other and led Harry into the hall. Harry closed the door behind them. When he turned around, though, he was faced with both of Daphne's parents with expecting looks on their faces.

"So?" Anton asked.

"I know that I should get her a ring, but I don't want to endanger everything including you two, Daphne, and Astoria. I'm not even that sure if it's safe at school right now, but I don't want to risk anything. It is also that even though I know I couldn't live without her, we are still only eleven." Harry explained passionately.

"Although I see your points and their validity, Harry, I suggest that you and I head over to a jewelry store sometime before you two leave for Hogwarts. I fear that just you two being so close together for so long already might have alerted some people to your juncture. We can only say that there was never a betrothal contract, only the soul bond." Anton disagreed.

"Actually, Anton, I have something in my luggage that will fix this situation, if you will allow me to get it?" Harry asked.

Anton and Iris chuckled. "You have permission to marry our daughter, Harry." Iris said.

"Thank you. I can find my way by memory." Harry said before heading back to the foyer and ascending the stairs.

He then made a quick series of turns before ending up in front of Daphne's room. He quickly opened the door and tried not t look at anything. He wanted Daphne to show him. He managed to find his luggage on the floor, and he quickly opened up one of the bags. He then pulled out a small to medium sized box with decorations engraved in the wood. Harry said the code in parseltongue before letting the box scan his right hand's print. After hearing the latch click, he opened it to find the small box he was looking for. He put it into his pocket before closing the larger box and returning it to its rightful place. Before closing the door behind him and proceeding back downstairs, Harry zipped up the bag.

Harry noticed that Anton and Iris were not in the hallway still, so he entered the dining room. It was a fairly large room connected to the living room by a white door on Harry's left. On the same side of the room, China cabinets filled with the family plates lined the wall. Opposite the door and China, a fairly large brick fireplace was lit. On the green walls, family portraits of previous years hung high. A huge oval mahogany table occupied the middle of the room.

"Ah, hello Harry. You are just in time for dinner. The house-elves cooked up Beef Wellington for tonight. Please, sit down." Anton greeted. Harry saw that Anton was at the head of the table, Iris was at her husband's left, Daphne was across from her, and Astoria sat beside Iris. Harry knew that this was a generous action on Anton and Iris's part. They were encouraging him to not chicken out.

Out of all of the things Harry would never do, fleeing because of anxiety or fear was towards the top of the list.

"Thank you." Harry said before sitting down beside his soon-to-be-fiancé. He gave her a quick smile before cutting up his meal and taking a bite.

"How do you like it, Harry?" Iris asked.

"It is the best thing I have ever eaten." Harry slightly lied. The pancakes he had after his rescue seemed to be Heaven at the time although that had changed the second time he had eaten them.

"I am glad to hear it." Anton said. "So how are your classes going?"

"Very well. Harry and I are at the top of our classes in all of our subjects." Daphne responded.

"Do you think that they'll move you ahead?" Iris asked.

"I highly doubt it. It has never been done since before 1956." Harry replied. What he lacked to add, however, that it was due to Dumbledore being headmaster that no one had skipped a grade.

The conversation continued to be about Hogwarts and its history until dessert.

"Well not that I think Hogwarts isn't fascinating, but how about we move this conversation into the living room as dessert has arrived?" Anton asked before picking up his plate of tiramisu and going into the specified room.

The rest of the family and Harry followed behind him and sat down in different spots. Anton sat in his high-backed armchair and Iris did the same beside him. Their daughters sat together on the couch beside them. A medium sized table separated them. After an indication from Anton, Harry sat down in another armchair at another point across from his soul mate and her sister. After sitting, the five ate their tiramisu and talked about some secret adventures Anton had had with Harry's father and his friends.

"I still can't believe that you were a marauder." Harry laughed.

"Yes, but as much as I miss it, I am very glad that I finally settled down and married Iris." Anton gave Harry a wink that was only noticed between the two men.

"Oh, you old snake charmer." Iris chuckled.

"Well, you are the queen of snakes to me." Anton continued to flirt.

"Ugh! Mum, Dad, could you please stop that before I vomit?" Daphne pretended to be disgusted.

Harry's stomach fluttered in knowing what he was about to do, but he rose anyway and walked around the table towards Daphne.

"What's wrong?" His soul mate asked, serious as he looked. She thought Harry had seen something that might have been a threat. Harry had now stopped between her and her sister.

"Nothing." Harry said before beginning to walk towards his seat. Instead of following through, though, Harry turned around and took a knee, staring at Daphne.

"Absolutely nothing is wrong." Harry smiled while reaching into his pocket. In Harry's peripheral vision, he saw Daphne's parents smiling. Astoria looked shocked and confused, and Daphne was just completely shocked.

"Daphne, we both knew this was going to happen sometime after that day on the train, but I think it is about time that I did this. I know, though, that I don't need to say anything else because I can feel you, which means you feel every emotion I have for you. So, will you marry me?" Harry proposed after taking out the box. After finishing his small speech, Harry opened the box to reveal a simple silver ring with many runes inscribed on the inside of the band. A two and a half Karat trilliant diamond was encased in the silver. The silver had been magically reinforced to withstand almost any physical damage.

If Daphne wasn't an Orderian, she would have frozen in shock, but she hadn't been trained for months for nothing.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"What do you think? Of course it's 'yes'!" Daphne smiled before Harry slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger. Harry and his fiancé then stood up and met for a kiss on the lips. Slowly, it evolved into something more passionate and loving, for Daphne and Harry's minds seemed to meld as their lips opened simultaneously for the other's tongue.

Anton cleared his throat after allowing the two a moment to express their joy. "You are still present in my house mind you, and my friend's son or not, I would prefer not to see anyone kissing my daughter like that. Though, I have to say that it is nice to see she has ended up with you."

Iris was about to scold her husband before he had added his last sentence. "You two look very good together."

Astoria was stilling sitting in her seat in shock. After checking on her, though, Daphne found she had tears on her cheeks.

"Are you okay, Tory?"

"That was so romantic!" Astoria screamed in delight before turning to Harry. "Where did you ever think of something like that?"

Harry then did something he had not ever done before and blushed. "It just came to me."

"Do you ever think things through?" Daphne sighed and shook her head, but Harry could see that she also had a smile on her face.

"I do, but sometimes it's better to just let it flow." Harry grinned. Anton shook his head. Harry was much like his birth father.

"So does this mean you are going to be a part of the family?" Astoria asked happily.

Harry then realized what Astoria had said. He now had a family that everyone could know about. "I guess it does, Astoria. I guess it does."

"Oh! If we're now family, please call me Tory!" Astoria replied.

"All right, Tory." Harry smiled.

"As much as this is wonderful, I believe it is time for bed. It is already a good time past your curfew in particular, Tory." Anton insisted.

"Yes, Daddy. I love you." Astoria said as she hugged her father goodnight before doing the same with Iris. "Goodnight, Mum. I love you."

"We love you, too dear. Now off to bed." Iris said.

Astoria gave Daphne a hug before leaving the room. She paused, though, and went back to give Harry a hug too.

"Don't worry, Tory. I'll still be here when you wake up." Harry chuckled, pretending as if her hug had crushed him.

Astoria smiled before leaving the living room to go to bed.

Harry turned to face Anton and Iris.

"I suppose we should be off to bed as well?" Harry asked.

"We need to speak more about some important matters, but for now you two should head off to bed." Iris said.

"Okay. Good night, Mum. I love you." Daphne hugged her mother before entrapping her father in one as well. "I love you, Dad. Good night."

"Good night, Iris." Harry said before starting to turn towards Anton. She surprised him, however, when she pulled him into a hug. It lasted for only a couple of seconds, but it was enough.

"Good night, Anton." Harry said, reaching with his hand for a shake. The Greengrasses surprised Harry even further when Anton pushed his hand away and embraced him.

"You are family now." Anton assured Harry after a second from letting go from the two-second hug.

"Good night, guys. We will see you in the morning." Daphne said as she and Harry stood together.

"I highly doubt that. It is ten o'clock at night and you two have had a long day. We'll make sure you two are left alone for a little while." Iris said. Instead of arguing, the two eleven year olds nodded and left.

"Where'd you get the ring?" Daphne asked as soon as they reached her room.

"It was my mother's. I found it hidden in my Potter vault." Harry explained.

"Thank you." She replied softly before hugging her fiancé tightly.

'If you guys don't stop, I think you're going to kill us!' Zeus hissed while as a tattoo. Harry and Daphne jumped apart and blushed.

"We probably should find you guys somewhere to stay while we're here." Harry said, ignoring what had just transpired.

"I'll go see if Dad would be all right with Rex and Regina staying with the horses in the barn." Daphne said after a moment of thinking.

"We can't let Umbra and Zeus in there. That would probably scare the horses shitless. Could you imagine two species that normally kill you suddenly sleeping in the same structure as you?" Harry chuckled.

Daphne had a look of inspiration on her face.

'Zeus, how would you like to find and kill some mice?' She asked.

'That would be great!' Zeus hissed in joy.

Harry then came up for where Umbra could sleep.

'Umbra, I know you are the wild wolf who loves being free, but how would you like to sleep here?' Harry asked.

Zeus appeared to laugh at this. 'He is as wild as a chihuahau.'

'Shut up, Zeus! If I were you, I would be careful of what I say because I might just want cobra for a late night snack.' Umbra growled.

'So, what do you say Umbra?" Harry asked again.

'It would be a pleasure to stand guard by your bedside.' Umbra replied.

'Oh, you don't have to sleep on the floor. If you want to, you can join us in bed.' Daphne responded.

'That would be nice.' Umbra said after a second.

"Let's go talk to Anton about our dragons now that that is settled." Harry smiled.

Daphne nodded and quickly left the room; Daphne led the way to her father's study, where he always was at this time of night before bed.

She walked up to the door and knocked.

"Come in."

"Shouldn't you two be in bed?" Anton asked after seeing who entered the room. He had thought for a moment that Astoria had had a nightmare.

"We realized that our familiars need a place to sleep. Could Rex and Regina sleep in the horse barn?" Daphne asked.

"Sure. Where are they?" Anton replied.

"Uh…" Daphne said, dumbfounded. She didn't know how Anton would react to her Regina tattoo.

"What's wrong?" Her father asked.

"Nothing." Harry said before holding his fiancé's hand. "Here you go."

Rex jumped out of Harry's palm. A second later, Regina followed Rex out of Harry's skin.

"Also, Anton, could Zeus rest in the basement? He could clear up the mice problem you've been having or at least put a big dent in the population." Harry reasoned.

"Of course. If you would?" Anton asked.

Zeus flowed out of Harry's hand and dropped onto the floor.

"Ah, thank you Harry. I will see you both tomorrow." Anton said as he led everyone out of his study. After exiting the room, Anton continued, "Good night, you two. I will see you tomorrow." He then turned and walked towards the backdoor.

"Good night." Harry and Daphne chorused.

They then went back up to their bedroom. After both used the bathroom to change and clean their teeth, Harry summoned Umbra out of his skin. The newly engaged couple then slipped underneath the covers. Umbra jumped into the bed and wrapped himself into a ball at their feet. A second later, all three of them were asleep.

The next morning, the three easily awoke at six in the morning. Harry started collecting his workout clothes but Daphne stopped him.

"How about we go riding instead today?" She smiled.

"Only if we still stick to our regimen also. Deal?" Harry negotiated.

"Deal." Daphne grinned.

"So, you want to get the workout over with?" Harry chuckled.

"I suppose so." Daphne said seriously but grinned after a second.

"I'll change in the bathroom if you want." Harry offered.

"No thanks. I know what you're doing. You're trying to get everything done at once." Daphne shook her head with a grin on her face.

"You caught me. I surrender!" Harry joked before getting out his clothes and everything else he needed and made sure to have it ready to be picked up quickly. After that, he rushed to put on his exercise clothing. He finished a minute before Daphne returned. When Daphne returned, she simply said, "Your turn."

Three seconds later, Harry was in the hall outside of Daphne's room. Two minutes after he entered the bathroom, Harry came out and met Daphne at the stairs. They then proceeded down and out the backdoor. They then did what they had been doing for months at Hogwarts and ran while trying to avoid obstacles. Occasionally, they would drop down and do push-ups or sit-ups or would encounter a low-hanging tree limb and do a few pull-ups. After they finished, Harry and Daphne quickly took turns at the shower and redressed. It was only seven and a half hours after midnight. The couple then went back downstairs and into the casual dining room, a room attached to the casual kitchen that was used regularly.

"Ah, hello you two. How did you sleep?" Iris asked, looking up from her copy of _The Daily Prophet_.

"Quite well, how about you two?" Daphne asked.

"Fairly all right. I saw you two exercising outside, quite impressive at such an early time." Anton commented, looking up from his copy of the newspaper.

Harry shrugged. "You get used to it."

"Ah, don't be so modest. You should be proud to be so strong as to accomplish a feat like that. I appreciate you including my daughter in your exercises." Anton replied.

"What would you two like for breakfast?" Iris asked.

"A medium toasted buttered bagel with ham and an over easy egg topped off with a melted slice of cheese for both of us." Daphne replied. Harry was touched that she had remembered his choice of breakfast.

Susan quickly popped in and began getting the two bagels ready. Harry could have done it himself but didn't want to appear rude, and Harry had seen that the Greengrasses were very kind to their house-elves.

"What would you like to drink?" Susan asked as she put the plates on the table. She already knew Daphne's preference.

"A mug of coffee would be great, Susan. Thank you." Harry said.

"No thanks are needed. It is my pleasure to serve little madam's betrothed." Susan replied before popping back into the kitchen.

Harry gave a quizzical look at Daphne. "Little madam?"

"It's how Susan was raised. She and her family have been with House Greengrass since its creation." Daphne explained. "And don't try getting her to call you something else. She will win when it comes to being stubborn with her manners."

"Ah." Harry responded before taking his knife and cutting the bagel in half, breaking the egg's yolk. Daphne did the same.

"Here you go. Any other way I may be of any help?" Susan asked as she popped the coffee and hot chocolate onto the table. The two then began eating quickly.

"When did you two start eating meals like that?" Iris asked, confused.

"Ever since I was eight. Before I joined the Order… let's just say I wasn't given many chances to eat." Harry explained his voice had a morbid tone of pain.

"I started shortly after recruitment as well. Scientists that are working in and for the Order have found that increased muscle mass increases metabolism, causing you to burn more calories. In other words, you need to eat more to keep your body well." Daphne changed the point of interest from Harry and his past with the Dursleys.

"Daphne, as much as I find that interesting, I have to ask… what do you mean by 'not given many chances to eat?'" Anton asked, concerned.

Harry was halfway through his bagel. He put the other half down back on the plate and wiped his lips with his napkin.

"You don't have to tell them, Harry. I know how much it hurts to remember." Daphne tried to persuade her fiancé.

"Thanks, Daphne, but I think it needs to be said after three years now. Besides, you know that I can deal with some pain." Harry gave a weak smile, and Daphne returned it with a sympathetic one.

"We're here to listen, no matter how long it takes, so if you need to stop, don't feel pressured to continue." Iris comforted the last reminder of her friends before they died.

"Thank you, Iris, but I don't think I'll be able to stop. If I do halt, I might never speak up again." Harry replied.

Anton and Iris nodded their understanding and leaned in on the boy who had bared more pain and troubles in eight years than what many adults handled in a lifetime.

"Before I was eight, I had only remembered one home and the family that lived there:… the _Dursleys_,"Harry spat the word out as if it was a curse on the whole Earth before continuing, "They are my mother's family. My Aunt Petunia, I am related to by blood, and her husband is a fat elephant named Vernon. They had a son, Dudley, who is a smaller version of his father without a mustache. Before the government required me to attend school, they only called me Freak, or if they were happy, Boy. It wasn't until school that they told me my name is Harry James Potter. They had fed me false stories about my parents being potheads, drunkards, and the like. I remember they told me that they had died in a car crash. When they weren't lying to me, which was most of the time since they barely spoke to me, they made me do almost all of the chores. On some days, though, Vernon would get very angry with me, especially on my birthdays. I think he got a thrill out of devising his torturing methods. You would think that school would give me an opportunity to find solace, but… Dudley had other plans. He and his friends would find me whenever I wasn't in class and beat me up, or something like that. Between everything, I'm not sure how I survived, but at least it gives me a way to push past anything else. Everything that I now face is nothing compared to what they did to me. I still remember that day I was rescued. I still remember the fire stoker, the freezer, the whip, the starving sensation, the thirst." Harry's voice grew darker and more haunted as he spoke.

When he finished, Harry let out the pain he had held in for so long and cried. He bowed his head and wept silently. Daphne had moved over to sit next to her fiancé and was now hugging him tightly. She too had cried but had started doing it halfway through the ordeal. Daphne looked up and saw her parents' reactions to the news. Iris had tears running down her face, and Anton looked furious.

Iris stood up and hugged Harry as well, trying to comfort him. Anton followed his wife but just kept a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder.

"It's all right, Harry. It's all right. Mark my words… they will pay. I don't normally use magic to gain an upper hand with muggles, but I'll make a point of ruining their lives by any and every means necessary." Anton swore.

Harry looked up at Anton and nodded before saying, "Just promise me something."

Anton nodded in response. "Anything."

"Let me be the one to truly make them face justice." Harry said, revenge and fury coursing through his eyes.

Anton nodded. "Of course. I should call Severus and let him know about this, though. He'll want to console you himself." He then quickly walked out of the room toward the living room.

A few minutes later, Anton returned. He noticed that Harry, Daphne, and Iris had broken the hug. Harry had resumed eating his bagel but was slowly biting chunks out of it and had a dreary look on his face.

Everyone sat quietly, unsure of what to do next.

"I'll be fine. I'll get over it." Harry said. "Don't worry about me."

"You don't have to be tough, Harry. You don't have anything to prove, and you have already shown that you are much stronger than most. It is time, though, to let out your emotions. I can't promise that it won't hurt, but I can promise that you'll feel better afterwards." Anton spoke kindly.

Harry just nodded in response.

A couple minutes later, the four of them heard the crackling of fire and the whooshing sound that signified someone had just flooed into the house. A few moments later, Susan led Severus into the kitchen.

Even if Severus hadn't been briefed on the situation, he would have known something was wrong with his son-in-all-but-blood. His face just had certain morbidity to it, even though a normal person would say that Harry's face was an emotionless mask.

"Harry, could you come with me? You don't mind Anton?" Severus asked.

"No, no, of course, Severus, feel free to go outside for some privacy." Anton said. Severus nodded and he and Harry left out the back door.

Severus guided Harry toward a big Yoshino Cherry Tree in the yard.

After a few moments of standing there, Severus sighed and finally spoke up. "I'm sorry for everything you've been through, Harry. If I had known sooner, I would have rescued you sooner, with the Elders' permission or not. I wish that I could do something, anything, that could help you through the pain, but I have no advice for you. The only consolation I can give you is that I'll always be here for you. It took me a while to come to my senses, but I'm here now and I'm never leaving your side." Severus's words grew more and more passionate as he spoke.

"I know, Dad. But the things I went through at the Dursleys', I had forgotten about. Telling my story just made me relive every experience. I know that I'm going to get through this. I have to get through this." Harry responded.

Severus's mood seemed to worsen as Harry said this. "I know that, but you can't always be emotionless. If you don't, then you might go to a place that I visited and never want to return to. If you lose your emotions, you lose your humanity with it; you become a monster." Severus leaned down to stare into Harry's emerald eyes. "I failed your mother and because of that I failed you too. You can't make my mistakes, Harry! I couldn't take it if you did! Your mother would never forgive you! I still wonder if she would forgive me for what I have already done."

"How did you betray my Mum?" Harry asked curiously.

"I… became a Death Eater after graduating Hogwarts. Before that, I became what is now the stereotypical Slytherin. It was because of the Marauders. They played many cruel jokes on me throughout the school years. I became emotionally detached, separating myself even from your Mum who I deeply loved. I still love her to tell the truth. That is how I betrayed her. I fought with Voldemort against her and her friends." Severus confessed. "I could easily imagine how you would hate me and never want to talk to me again, but I cannot hold the truth anymore."

"I could never hate you, Dad." Harry said, familial love overflowing from his eyes and voice. "You never hurt my parents or me directly, so there is no reason to. Even if you did, I could understand."

"So, do you feel better now?" Severus asked.

Harry paused for a second. He realized that he had come to peace to some degree with his pain. "Yes. There is still pain, but I think it will deteriorate over time or until I come to peace completely with it."

Severus wiped his face clean of tears using his sleeve and smiled; Harry copied his actions.

"Let's go back inside." Severus said before wrapping an arm over his son's shoulder. On his shoulders, though, there was less weight. To Severus, it felt as if he was finally free.

The duo walked back inside and found the family in the kitchen.

As Daphne rushed over to wrap Harry in hug, Anton asked, "Are you all right, Harry?"

After giving Daphne a look that told her he was speaking the truth, Harry answered Anton. "Yeah. I feel the best I have ever felt."

"Can we get you anything, Severus?" Iris asked.

"I am afraid not. I really must be going. I have business to attend to before Tuesday." Severus responded with a now characteristic smile.

"We will see you Tuesday." Anton smiled back. "Allow me to walk you out."

Severus nodded before hugging Harry good-bye.

"It was nice seeing you again, Severus, despite the reason and the length of your visit." Daphne said.

"You, too Daphne. Just try keeping him out of trouble." Severus grinned while pointing his thumb at Harry.

"Hey!"

"Always a pleasure, Iris." Severus nodded at Anton's wife before the man walked Severus out of the room.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Astoria asked as she came into the kitchen.

"The potions master I mentioned yesterday." Daphne replied.

"Why was he here?" Astoria asked curiously.

Daphne and Iris shared a quick glance at each other. Iris gave the go ahead. Daphne nodded to Harry.

"I'll tell you, but you must promise not to tell anyone of your own free will unless specified by us. Okay?" Harry asked thoroughly.

"I guess." Astoria shrugged.

"The potions master has kind of filled in the role of a father to me for over three years. The reason this needs to remain secret is because some certain people who could hurt Dad, Daphne, you guys, and/or me would have an advantage against us." Harry explained.

"Okay. What's for breakfast?" Astoria's attention diverted to her grumbling stomach.

"What would you like, Tory?" Susan asked as she popped up beside the young girl.

Harry gave Daphne a quizzical look as Astoria whispered something to Susan.

"Susan and her are best friends, so she uses a nickname for Astoria." Daphne explained while Susan started making something in the kitchen.

Harry nodded.

"So when are you guys getting married?" Astoria asked excitedly.

"That is a very good question." Anton commented as he entered the room and sat down at his seat again.

"When do you guys want to be married?" Iris asked.

Harry and Daphne shared a nervous look.

"I don't know. I mean, I definitely want to be married before the end of school, but…" Harry began.

"There is a lot going on in our lives, and with the number of friends we have, we'll have to have a kind of big wedding…" Daphne continued.

"So it's all very complicated." Harry finished. Anton and Iris nodded grimly. They had been in contact with the Order and had been helping them. They knew the gravity of the situation they were in from their original, political plan.

"When is the most you will wait, though?" Iris asked.

"As long as it takes if necessary." Daphne replied, sad at the truth of her words.

"We know, but how long at most do you _want_ to wait?" Anton asked.

"Definitely before fifth year." Harry thought out loud more than answered.

"After second would be better." Daphne reasoned as well.

"How about the summer before fourth year?" Harry asked his fiancé.

"That would be perfect!" Daphne exclaimed.

"That could work. It would give you two some time to mature and grow closer." Anton reasoned.

"Oh, and it would give us enough time to prepare for the wedding!" Iris realized.

"Ugh. Here we go again." Anton commented. Iris glared at her husband. "Sorry."

Anton then leaned in and whispered to Harry quietly while the girls were preoccupied. "Prepare for the worst time of a man's life: wedding preparations."

"Here you go, Tory." Susan said as she popped the plate of chocolate chip pancakes and glass of milk on the table. Anton quickly went back into his previous position but sent Harry an advising look. Harry nodded in reply.

"Thanks, Susan." Astoria smiled before hugging the house-elf and digging in. Susan smiled and popped away.

Iris and Daphne were too busy talking about the wedding to comment on Astoria's choice of breakfast.

"How about after Astoria finishes eating we all go out for a ride?" Anton asked everyone.

"What would we ride?" Harry asked in reply. He had been exposed to cars, motorcycles, dune buggies, horses, brooms, and boats of all types, sizes, and shapes.

"Horses of course." Iris replied with a smile.

"Remember what we discussed earlier?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah. I just didn't know if that was all to ride here." Harry reasoned.

"Let's go change." Daphne sighed before getting up and bringing Harry upstairs.

For the next two days, the Greengrass family and Harry spent their days riding horses and hanging together. On Christmas Eve, though, things changed. At Eleven O'clock in the morning the family apparated in front of a pair of wrought-iron gates that guarded a path lined with hedges that were as tall as the gate. After passing through the gates, the family proceeded down the path that led to a pale-bricked manor with black trim. Once they arrived at the magnificent double doors, Anton knocked.

"How may Dobby serve you?" A feeble sounding elf asked.

"Could you tell the lord and lady of the house that the Greengrasses are here to see them?" Anton asked.

"Dobby will be back." Dobby closed the door.

A minute later, both the doors opened inwards, revealing the house-elf. "Master says that you may come in."

"Thank you, Dobby." Anton said before the elf led the family into the manor. After passing through a series of corridors, they arrived in the Drawing Room.

"Leave us, Dobby." The man who Harry assumed was Lord Malfoy said. Dobby bowed and popped away.

"Lord Greengrass, what are you doing here?" The man asked.

"My family and I thought it would be a good idea to restart relations between our families because of our children's friendship." Anton replied before indicating Harry and Daphne.

"We also thought that there would be no better time to try than the day before Christmas." Iris added. She and her husband sounded polite but made sure not to seem submissive in any way. A pureblood never shows weakness.

"What a nice thought. Let me fetch Draco and Narcissa so we may converse all together. Dobby!" Lucius shouted the last sentence.

"Yes, master?" Dobby asked as he appeared.

"Fetch my wife and son. Tell them to meet me and our guests in the den." Lucius commanded before leading the way to the aforementioned room.

When they arrived, the family noticed Draco and Narcissa were already there.

"Will that be all, sir?" Dobby asked.

"Yes. Go." Lucius ordered.

"Harry, Daphne, it is wonderful to see you again. How have you been?" Draco asked politely. He sounded a little more like his old self, but the two other Orderians could tell that the real Draco was still alive.

Harry thought a moment, wondering how to play this.

_'Here we go.' _Draco sighed mentally. _'I wondered how long it would take before everything went to shite.'_

"It has been rather good, but after seeing your face again, I feel as if everything has been ruined." Harry grinned.

"Why do you always have to be such an arsehole all the time?" Draco sighed outwardly as he shook his head. Narcissa gasped.

"Draco, how dare you use such language? I thought we discussed with you about your lack of manners when you arrived back home." Lucius fumed.

"Please don't blame your son, Lord Malfoy. People say that I'm a bad influence." Harry smiled. Daphne and Draco both shook their heads.

"Lord Greengrass, how do you call this a proper meeting?" Lucius asked angrily.

"He never did. Look, we need to get something straight." Harry took control of the situation.

"And what would that be?" Narcissa asked, angry as well.

"Draco and I are friends now, and his opinions on some things have changed. I'm here to ensure that his relationship with you two is not affected." Harry explained.

"How have his views changed?" Lucius looked at his son.

"I'm no longer the pureblood supremacist that I once was. I am also not a dark supporter anymore." Draco said bravely.

"What?" Lucius shouted loudly.

"You heard me, and I was hoping that we could change your minds as well." Draco said.

"How would you accomplish that?" Lucius retorted.

"By showing you a more powerful side." Daphne said.

"Or by taking away your power to show you some humility." Harry threatened.

"How dare you threaten us in our own home?" Narcissa asked, about having enough.

"Wait, Narcissa. What do you mean by a more powerful side?" Lucius asked cautiously.

Harry sighed before asking, "I first need an oath from both of you that you will never mention anything we discuss here, okay?"

After the Lord and Lady Malfoy swore on their magic, Harry thanked them and explained the Grey Order to the two. Daphne and Draco would add things in as well. After they finished, Lucius sat deep in thought.

"So what do you think, father? Will you renounce your old ways and join our cause?" Draco asked.

After a few more moments, Lucius answered. "I would suppose that we have to. Since you have already forbidden us from revealing this secret, we could not return to our old lives, so yes. I'll join, though, I cannot promise to at least immediately stop my supremacist thoughts. A lifetime of hate is not so easily dissuaded."

"Mother?" Draco turned.

"I could not leave my boy and my husband. I will join." Narcissa answered.

Draco rushed up and hugged each of his parents, first his mother, then his father.

After breaking the hug, Draco looked up at Lucius and asked, "How did you decide to stop?"

"I was once like you and had rebellious thoughts, but unlike you, I never had anyone to encourage them." Lucius smiled.

"Master? Dobby is sorry to interfere, but Mister Severus Snape is at the door." Dobby popped in.

"Then answer-" Lucius began shouting but caught himself. "Could you please let him in and notify him where we are?"

"Yes, master." Dobby said, confused at Lucius's actions.

"And Dobby?" Lucius looked at his son for a moment before turning his gaze back on his house-elf. "You can call me Lucius instead of master."

"Yes, Lucius." Dobby replied, even more confused.

"Also, thank you."

Dobby decided to fetch Severus before he became too confused to even walk.

"That was good, father." Draco said.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." Lucius sighed.

A minute later, Dobby led Severus into the room.

"What's the potions master doing here?" Astoria asked curiously.

Everyone's attention drew to the little girl in the room for the first time. Severus had a small smile on his face; Daphne and Harry shook their heads while looking down and smiling. Iris and Anton looked slightly nervous at Astoria's words. Lucius and Narcissa were slightly confused. Draco's reaction, though, was the oddest. At first, he did what his parents did, but after a moment, Harry and Daphne noticed that Draco had an odd look on his face. Draco then started moving toward Astoria with the weird look still on his face. It looked to the two as if he was compelled by some unknown force. A moment before Draco took his last step towards the little girl, Harry knew what was going on and shook his head with a smile on his face at the way the fates worked.

"Hi." Draco said, now standing in front of her. Draco was half a foot taller than the girl but didn't look very intimidating.

A second after Draco spoke, Astoria got the same look on her face as Draco had. "Hi."

"My name's Draco."

"Astoria."

Harry shook his head at his friend's actions and stepped up to Draco.

"Look, I know what this is. Just kiss her already!" Harry whispered in the other boy's ear.

Draco went to give Harry a curious look but the raven-haired boy was already beside Daphne again. Harry tilted his head toward Astoria.

"You okay with this?" Harry whispered to Daphne.

"I can't stop this if I wanted to. It'd be too hypocritical." Daphne whispered back. Harry nodded.

"But, are you personally okay with this?" Harry asked again.

Daphne thought for a moment before smiling. "Yes.

Meanwhile, Draco had been pondering Harry's words. After deciding what to do, he noticed that Astoria had been staring into his eyes, and he had been subconsciously staring into hers. Draco then moved in with his lips puckered. Astoria met him halfway by standing up on her toes. When their lips met, a white flash signified a soul bond being made between the two.

"I guess that was what it looked like for us." Harry stated.

After a few moments, the other couple broke apart.

Harry went up to his friend, and Daphne went up to her sister. Each of them congratulated the newly bonded in different ways.

"Oh, Tory. You're going to be so happy." Daphne squealed.

"Looks like your not going to die alone, huh my blonde buddy?" Harry chuckled. Draco and Daphne glared at him. "What, Daphne? You didn't have to read my mind to know I was going to do that."

Daphne shook her head.

"Welcome to the family, Lucius." Anton put out his hand.

"Thank you, Anton." Lucius replied while shaking the other man's hand.

"So what are you doing here, Severus?" Narcissa asked while the children talked amongst themselves.

"I came as a last resort to persuade you for the Grey Order. It looks as if, though, that my services are no longer required." Severus joked a little.

"Wait, you're an Assassin?" Lucius asked, shocked.

"He's the oldest one here." Harry answered. "Both in actual age and length spent in the Order."

"Twit."

"Arse." Harry replied quickly.

"So…" Iris tried turning the conversation. "It looks as if three families connected their powers today."

"I would guess so." Narcissa replied.

"The wizarding world will be in for one hell of a surprise, huh?" Harry asked, a grin stretching on his face. Draco and Daphne looked at him and got the same look on their faces.

The whole day the families spent their time getting to know one another better and in a closed setting. At seven, though, the Malfoys' guests departed for Greengrass Manor after promising to spend Christmas together. Severus would be staying over at the Greengrass manor.

The next morning, Harry and Daphne woke up and exercised faster than normal but worked harder to make up for the slack. Once they finished and got ready for the day, they headed downstairs and into the kitchen. Nobody was in the room, but there was a note on the table.

It read:

_Dear Daphne, Harry, and Astoria,_

_We are at Malfoy Manor getting ready for today. At 9:30 please come on over using the floo (that means no apparating Harry!). Draco will be over at 8:30. Try not to destroy the whole manor in a prank war. Don't eat anything. We are preparing breakfast over here as well. We will see you later._

_Love,_

_Anton, Iris, and Severus_

"I wonder who wrote the letter." Harry said.

"He's right, though. You know that right?" Daphne asked.

"He helps!" Harry defended.

Daphne shook her head and sighed.

A couple minutes later, Astoria arrived. She was upset at having to wait for breakfast but brightened at the news of Draco arriving in twenty minutes. After the allotted time, Harry heard the floo dropping someone off.

Harry put a finger to his lips and drew out his left wand and activated his right gauntlet. Harry then quickly but silently proceeded out of the room and into the hall.

"Freeze right there, shithead!" Harry shouted after rounding the corner.

Draco instantly activated his gauntlet but wasn't prepared for the stunning spell he received.

"Have you gotten sloppy already, Draco?" Harry teased after unfreezing the fuming boy.

"Unlike you, I haven't been able to practice my sharp shooting skills." Draco retorted.

"In all fairness, I gave you a warning." Harry shrugged. "Besides, your reflexes shouldn't be that bad after only a few days." Harry gave Draco a look that told him to explain himself.

"I was thinking about Astoria." Draco confessed. "I thought I would see her straight away."

"Look, I understand, but we have to have our guard up almost constantly. You never know what might happen." Harry said.

"Sorry for not being a paranoid git." Draco retorted.

"I'm not paranoid!" Harry defended.

"Yes, you are Harry. You know how I feel about you, but we're not at Hogwarts. We're with family and friends behind our side of the lines. We're in friendly territory." Daphne tried to persuade her fiancé.

"You're right, Daph. I'm being ridiculous. I'll be a bit more relaxed." Harry agreed.

"How come you never cave in when I say things like that?" Draco asked, pretending to be hurt.

"We're not engaged." Harry replied.

Draco stood, dumbfounded at Harry's words.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you something." Harry said, pretending to be serious but after finishing he chuckled.

"Uh, congratulations you two. I'm happy for you. When did you propose, Harry?" Draco ignored the jibe.

"Last Saturday night." Harry replied.

"Draco!" Astoria shouted as she came in to see what was taking so long.

"Hey, Tory." Draco smiled as he hugged her.

The rest of the hour, the four spent the time hanging together. The three Orderians told Astoria about all of the other members their age and adventures they had already been on.

"Can I join?" Astoria asked as they prepared to floo over.

"We've established this new rule, Tory." Daphne began.

"You sign up your first year of Hogwarts." Harry continued.

"That is, if you have what it takes." Daphne finished.

Astoria nodded before they flooed over.

The four children appeared back in the living room and were amazed at the changes.

On the mantle, there were stockings. The walls were decorated with various Christmas decorations. The main attraction, though of course, was the tree. Much of the furniture had been moved to make more room for the behemoth. The symbol of Christmas was decorated with ornaments everywhere. Little wooden figures on brooms raced around the branches, narrowly avoiding the decorations. On top of the tree, a huge, magically lit star radiated light all over the room. Under the tree, presents of all sizes and shapes laid elegantly on the floor.

The adults were sitting on the couches with drinks in their hands and food on the table.

"Merry Christmas." Anton smiled.

After everyone ate their food and the Orderians drank their coffee, everyone settled by the tree. After everything under the tree was opened, everyone was quite happy with his or her gifts.

"Severus, you still have one present from me." Harry said after summoning the wrapped gift. Severus took the gift and unwrapped it, not worrying about saving paper.

"Ooh. You shouldn't have done that." Harry hissed.

"Why?" Severus looked up from the cardboard box cautiously.

"That was real muggle money." Harry smiled.

"Bugger." Severus said knowing Harry was trying to pull one off on him.

"You caught me." Harry shrugged.

Severus then took of the lid of the box to reveal a picture of the two of them in their Assassin robes standing in front of a burning, decrepit building. Severus and Harry's faces were covered, and the only sign of emotion between them both was Severus's hand on Harry's shoulder. Severus, though, remembered being very proud of the boy. The two had just completed Harry's first dangerous mission, and Harry had acted and performed as if he was twenty years older and had been training his whole life.

"Thank you, Son." Severus smiled.

"No problem, Dad." Harry smiled back before turning towards his fiancé. "I also have one last gift for you, Daphne."

"You better not have gotten me any prank supplies." Daphne sighed.

"Wow, what a lack of faith." Harry said as he took out an ornate, triangular box from behind his back. "Besides, I would never joke about anything like this."

Daphne took the box and opened it to unveil a silver chained necklace with a clear crystal heart on the end. The inside of the heart appeared to be frozen.

"Wow, I don't know what to say." Daphne said, completely shocked.

"I would probably say thank you." Draco advised. Daphne glared at him. "Sorry!"

"You're never going to learn are you?" Harry chuckled. Draco discreetly flipped him the bird.

"Now watch this." Harry said before stepping toward Daphne. The heart on the chain began to glow a fiery red, making the ice inside disappear.

"Oh my!" Daphne gasped softly.

"Where did you learn how to do that? I don't believe that they teach that in even our classes." Severus asked.

"I can't look through spell books for gifts for my soul bonded?" Harry asked.

"No, I just don't get how you have time between everything we give you." Severus said. "It makes me wonder if I should give you more work."

"Potions need time to brew." Harry said.

"They only need so much time." Severus said replied.

"That's how you know they feel at home," Draco said to no one in particular, "They screw with everyone."

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. I'm sorry if it seems a little disjointed; I work on bits of it every day, mostly at night. Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing and to everyone who hasn't, what the hell is wrong with you?! You think you're too good for my story? Well, here's what I think of you (flips the bird)! I'm just kidding everyone. I'm hyper for some odd reason and I think it is affecting this AN. Still, though, it'd be greatly appreciated if you guys would review some more, just something to think about. Anyway, I possibly will be soon getting a Beta, so this story will get better to a degree. Thanks again and as always: **_**Occidere Prima Vel Occidi.**_


	17. All According to Plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's **_**Harry Potter**_** series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Communication Through the Mind or Communicator or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

_**The Grey Assassins**_

**Chapter 17**

Harry and his friends warily stepped off the carriages and proceeded into the castle that would hold them for five more months. Draco, Blaise, Tracey, Hannah, Susan, Justin, and Ernie turned and went down the stairs towards their common rooms. Meanwhile, the others proceeded over to the Grand Staircase and then up to their common rooms or in Harry and Daphne's case, their suite. As each member stepped in, they secretly scanned for listening and recording devices in every room they would be present in for the remainder of the year. Thankfully, no one got the signifying beep that they were being spied on.

"I guess he was smart enough to actually not try that again, huh?" Harry grinned.

"Don't get too confident, Harry. You don't know what he has in store for us this semester." Daphne advised but grinned after speaking.

"So how are we going to explain the necklaces?" Harry smiled down at the necklace Daphne had given him during Christmas and he one he had given her. His was a black stringed necklace with a snake's fang from Zeus, a wolf's fang from Umbra, and a dragon fang from Rex. Daphne had secretly been collecting them when his familiars had grown out of their teeth. Umbra's fang was the largest among the three and was in the middle of the small collection that was held on the string by small holes Daphne had magically put in.

"We tell them the partial truth." Daphne shrugged.

"You got a necklace maker to put the holes in the teeth," Harry began.

"And you had a jeweler work their magic for the charm." Daphne finished.

"Let's see if I Dumbledore managed to find the secret spot for our racks, huh?" Harry smiled before heading into the bedroom and looking at the camera he had installed. It was where the wall met the ceiling and only covered the spot where their hidden racks were hidden.

"It looks like Dumbledore was in here, trying to see if we had any secrets that we left easily uncovered." Harry said. "How stupid of him."

"Like we would actually leave anything unchecked so obviously." Daphne shook her head as she applied magic to both of the spots at the same time to uncover both racks. Each of them was empty.

Daphne then summoned their robes from the secret compartments in their trunks and put them on the appropriate rack in the appropriate place. Harry, meanwhile, had started doing the same with their other closet where they hung their fancier clothes. After they finished, both wordlessly began putting away their other clothes. Once finished with that, Daphne put everything that belonged in the bathroom where it had previously been. Harry put their familiars things out again. Once both had finished putting away everything from their trunks, the only difference between the previous time they were in here and this time was the two's presents and that Umbra's bed was no longer present in the room. The King Shadow Wolf would now always sleep with its human counterparts.

"You want to go say hello to Deus and Basiliscum to see if they heard anything about the unicorn killer?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Then we'll go and say hello to the others to see how they are doing." Daphne agreed. Harry nodded and hid his two Berettas into the back of his trousers and ensured that they could easily be withdrawn. Daphne did the same with two daggers.

"I still don't get why you prefer to go medieval when it comes to weapons." Harry shook his head.

"You are the same way when it comes to you and those swords of yours." Daphne retorted.

"I forged them myself, and they have good reach when you are in close quarters." Harry defended.

"Whatever. Let's just go." Daphne said before they both exited their suite and proceeded into the needed bathroom.

"Who's there?" A girly voice asked as they opened the door. Harry and Daphne looked at each other nervously.

"Did you come to insult me?" The voice spoke again. "Or did you come to go into that place you have going into?"

"Who are you?" Harry changed his voice to match one of his friends. He motioned for Daphne to head into the stall and open the passage. She nodded and went over.

"Myrtle." The voice said.

"Where are you?" Harry asked as he started searching each of the stalls and scanning the entire bathroom.

"Why should I tell you? You'll probably hurt me." Myrtle seemed to be offended for some reason.

"Why would I do that?" Harry asked. He had already searched every stall and the entire bathroom and was uncertain where she could be hiding.

"Because everyone hurts me." Myrtle replied sadly.

"Why don't you report it to the headmaster?" Harry asked. He didn't want to reveal his distrust in Dumbledore.

"He can't do anything to help a ghost. It's not like they can hurt me." Myrtle revealed.

Harry raised his eyebrows at Daphne. They had their answer on why he couldn't find her.

"If you're a ghost, how did you die?" Harry asked, curious. Daphne had already disappeared down the stairs and Harry was now in the stall.

"I was hiding in here after Oliver Hornby was teasing me. Suddenly, I hear some hissing, so logically I turn around. When I did, all I saw were a pair of glowing yellow eyes." Myrtle explained.

"Thank you for letting me know Myrtle, but I have to go. I will say hello, if I see you again." Harry said before starting to enter the stairwell.

"Wait! What is your name?" Myrtle asked.

"Malfoy." Harry grinned before quickly descending down the stairs and into the Chamber.

"Why did you have to say that?" Daphne sighed as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Because it will be fun to see his reaction." Harry replied.

After a minute, they arrived inside the Basilisk's Den.

"_Hello, my friends. How were the holidays for you two?" _Harry asked.

"_It was well. It was especially well since I have never had a companion of the same species during this time, and I have not seen my old friends in a long time as well." _Deus replied.

"_I can still not believe you two found them in stasis in their own hidden chambers." _Basiliscum added.

"_Wait. How did you two talk to them since you are down here?" _Daphne asked.

"_The pipes can be used for more than listening." _Deus replied.

"_Of course! You guys could reach almost any part of the castle in half the time it would take using the halls. Could humans travel through the pipes as well as Basilisks?" _Harry asked curiously.

Deus sat in thought for moment. _"It is possible for some areas, but many pipes head straight up and are completely round and smooth."_ He finally answered after a few more seconds.

Harry didn't say anything but nodded in thought.

"_What are you thinking, Harry?" _Basiliscum asked, curious at his intentions.

"_If we could add in some lifts, we could have an entire secret underground transport system." _Harry replied.

"_How would that work? Someone could easily hear the noise of workers installing the system. Also, what about sewage? Most of the pipes actually have a purpose." _Daphne disagreed.

"_Actually, I have heard that there is a spell that automatically removes the wastes. Hogwarts has already started using it on some of the pipes." _Deus pointed out.

"_I'll see if the Elders know this spell and can give it to us. I'll tell them about my plan as well." _Harry planned.

"_Very well. I would see if Hogwarts would give you a map of the pipes as well. I don't think that a human would want to get lost in the maze." _Deus advised.

"_Thank you, Deus. Harry and I have to go now, though. We need to say hello to the others." _Daphne said.

"_We will see you next time you venture down here. Good bye, my friends." _Deus and Basiliscum said together.

"_Good bye." _Harry and Daphne accidentally did the same.

They both then grinned and walked out of the Basilisk's Den and then the Chamber of Secrets. This time passing through, they were not stopped by the ghost.

"Jericho?" Harry asked.

"Jericho." Daphne confirmed. Harry nodded and they both quickly proceeded up to the seventh floor and then went up to the wall across from where the Room of Requirement normally was. On the side of one of the stone holders of one of the torches there was a small face of a lion. Harry pushed on the face with his hand to reveal a small hole. Harry took out his right wand and cast an Expelliarmus into the hole. The bricks of the wall then started turning in place to reveal a royal red door with golden brackets and hinges. Harry opened the door and allowed Daphne to head in before him.

"Thank you." Daphne smiled as she passed through the doorway. Harry followed behind her into the room. The chamber held a very entrance room that was meant for reaching in to the other rooms, and as expected held Godric's choice of colors: red and gold. On this floor, there was an office that doubled as a library with windows that could not be seen from the outside. A staircase led up on the right side of the room. The office was through a doorway on the left. The Griffin's Den, as its creator had called it, molded itself with Gryffindor Tower, hiding it even better. The stairs had two doorways before reaching the top, which was a wooden ceiling/floor. The first doorway once opened revealed the training room since the Den did not mold so much with the Gryffindor common room yet. The next doorway guarded Godric's armoury. Harry and Daphne ignored each of these levels, however, and went to the top. Harry then pushed on the part of the ceiling right above him to open the trapdoor. This attic was fairly large since it was the top of Gryffindor Tower. In one corner there was a large pile of hay and straw, another corner held half a stone box, and the last corner held nothing but the wall had slits around it, indicating it could be pushed down.

"Jericho? Where are you my friend?" Harry called. Suddenly, something large dropped down behind them with much force. Harry automatically turned around, his Berettas in hand and pointed at the creature. After a second, though, he returned them to their original place.

"Were you really going to shoot me?" The griffin asked.

"If you proceeded to show more of a threat, yes." Harry answered truthfully.

Jericho appeared to shrug. "So, what are you doing here?" Godric had put a charm on Jericho to enable him to speak. Rowena had lent the head of Gryffindor some help.

"We thought to stop by and see how you are doing." Daphne replied.

"I am well. Thank you for asking, although it would be better if I could soar over the Forest, observing the creatures under Godric's and my reign, like I used to." Jericho said.

"I know you miss it, but Dumbledore cannot know that the founders' heir is at Hogwarts. With the amount of trouble I have already been bringing, he would almost automatically suspect me." Harry replied.

"I still don't understand why we must wait to attack the old fool. We could easily take him out now." Jericho sighed.

"We can't afford to be reckless. Timing is everything. As much as everyone will be resistant to change when we reveal it, it will at least double when children lead it. Besides, I have not learned everything that is needed yet." Harry explained.

"I remember Godric saying something. If I recall correctly, he said: 'A warrior never stops learning the art of war and fighting as long as he lives.' But, I will wait here, entrapped in this tower." Jericho replied.

"How about this?" Harry asked. "Start going out at night to eat and feed, although I must ask something. During your flights, please try not to be noticed and let us know if you see something killing unicorns in the forest. We need to find it and stop it."

Jericho thought a moment. Although it matched its previous owner's personality in recklessness and bravery, it was cautious and thorough when it came to deals. "I am good with that."

Daphne smiled. "Good. We will see you when we see you."

Jericho nodded and said, "Good bye." Daphne started heading down the stairs with Harry close behind.

"We'll see you later, Jericho." Harry said before he closed the door behind him.

The couple then quickly proceeded down the stairs and out of the Den. Harry and Daphne walked quickly down the Grand Staircase and got off on the third floor. A minute after walking down the halls, they arrived in the library. Harry and Daphne nodded to Madam Pince before proceeding to the back of the library before making a left opposite of the windows. On the bookcase on this side, Harry quickly found a book that covered all types of birds. Harry opened the book to eagles and found the necessary line. Daphne then cast a ward that covered the immediate area from having Harry and her overheard. While Rowena was smart enough to stop anyone from hearing the wall unlock, that didn't mean nobody could hear Harry speak the secret words. It was another way to test a guest's worthiness. Harry nodded to his fiancé.

"An eagle should never be confused with a raven although to do so shows extreme ignorance. A raven, while mysterious and intelligent, cannot compare with an eagle's majesty, wisdom, and superiority. Eagles are the kings and queens of the sky and should be treated so although they are modest in nature." Harry read from the book. The spells Rowena had cast forced a person to read from it to enable someone to access her secret chamber.

"Then why does an eagle go under the name of a raven while at this castle?" A voice coming from the bookcase asked.

"Eagles call themselves and are called ravens because they are smart and wise enough to know to fool the foolhardy who do not even bother with researching their enemies." Harry replied.

"A truly wise answer worthy enough to have been Rowena's. You may enter." The voice said before the bookcase slid into the wall, revealing two ways to enter the Eagle's Roost as Rowena had dubbed it.

Harry and Daphne then quickly proceeded in by going along the left side. She broke the ward as she stepped in with a flick of her wand. After stepping past, the wall and the bookcase slid back into its original position.

The entrance was much like the Den's entrance for it only was a room to reach the other parts of the Roost and contained the house's colors. However, there was where most of the similarities ended. Although in both chambers there was a library, an office, and a training room, the style of each was very much changed. The office was more set up for working rather than receiving guests. The library was much larger as expected and had bookcases on every wall in the room with a large table in the center for reading through a huge stack of writings. The training room was not just for training, for Rowena had used it often in experiments dealing with spells and wards. Harry and Daphne, though, went into the staircase that only had one drop off point, the top. At the top of the staircase, the stairwell opened out to a whole room that had a small opening at the top that was the roof of Hogwarts. The room was very impressive since it had a never stopping waterfall in one corner with a stone crate that looked very much similar to Jericho's except for its size. The most magnificent feature of the room, though, was the elaborate open bronze cage in the center of the room. Resting on the perch inside was Acquilina, previously Rowena's pet eagle and now Harry's. She was a Golden Eagle but was much larger, yet she was still proportionate.

"How are you today, Acquilina?" Daphne asked with a smile after the majestic bird noticed its owners.

"I am very well at the moment, although I wish I could fly despite it being too risky to do so. I suspect Jericho complained along the same lengths except without the realization I came to?" Acquilina asked intelligently.

"Very good deduction, my Golden Eagle. He did indeed, although I came up with a solution that satisfied him for the time being. Would you like to hear it since it could pertain to you as well?" Harry talked much like his ancestor's familiar to show that he was worthy to call himself a Ravenclaw

"I could imagine that it needs slight modification, but yes." The Golden Eagle replied.

"We were able to arrange for him to soar at night, allowing you to be free and no one to be suspicious. I would also let you go out during the day in coming months, but it would not seem fair to Jericho. Don't you believe that it is everyone's best interest to just let you two be rulers of the night until we start to bring about a new day?" Harry asked.

"Your counsel is wise, I must admit. You have thought your plan thoroughly through, yet you prepare yourself for adaptation. I can see it in your eyes. Although it is wise to hide their true meaning from enemies, I am glad to see Rowena's descendant knows that eyes are the portals that guide us into the soul and the mind, showing us what and how a person truly thinks. It will be endearing to soar once more, albeit it be at night." Acquilina spoke.

"I am glad that my plan is worthy of my ancestor." Harry said passionately.

"It might be worthy, but it is simple as well. Rowena truly comes out in you, though, not in what you think but by how you think it. That is how many of her plans and incantations proved fruitful." Acquilina replied.

"I am grateful for the complement, but there is business elsewhere that I must tend to. I will hopefully see you soaring above in the clouds while our enemies will not." Harry said.

"Fair well, Acquilina, Queen of the Birds." Daphne added.

"While my fellow rulers and I dominate the land, air, and sea, the ones who lead us are truly lord and lady of all. May your journey prove insightful." Acquilina imparted her last words of wisdom for this conversation. It had become routine for her to do so.

Harry and Daphne nodded and quickly but silently exited the Eagle's Roost and proceeded out of the library only pausing to nod goodbye to Madam Pince who looked at them as if any second they were about to demolish a stack of books from ancient times. The couple ignored this and strode on towards the Grand Staircase. Once they reached the ground floor, though, they were stopped.

"Hey, guys. Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you." Draco said as he and the other Slytherin Assassins approached.

"We've been visiting some old friends, though we haven't seen the last of the four. I don't think she'll be envious, angry, or sad, though." Harry referred to their last visitor. The basilisks were under the Slytherin colors, so they were green with envy. Jericho was red with anger. Acquilina was blue as in sad. Meles, though, was black as in depressed. If they had just met everyone, they would say that they were happy.

"Ah. We were wondering if we could discuss something, though, if you had the time. We have a problem that we need to work through." Blaise replied.

"Lead the way." Harry said. Draco nodded and the five quickly moved into an empty classroom. Harry proceeded in last after checking to see if anyone was watching them. Once he did close the door, Harry locked it with a charm and put up a ward to prevent anyone from overhearing them.

"What's up?" Daphne asked, all business.

"After Christmas, my mother and father started looking at many of his allies and friends to see who had potential to help us. Nothing is completely confirmed, but it seems as if many have wavering allegiance to the Dark Arts, although they all are supremacists through and through." Draco said.

"If there are two things that I have noticed play a pivotal role in everything, it is money and power. Once we tempt them enough, they will be ours to command. I have noticed most purebloods stick to supremacy because they do not wish to lose the power and money they and their families have created for themselves. Once we show that introducing different blood does not affect their influence, they will be more than willing to join any side willing to accept them, i.e.: us." Harry explained.

"What about them being loyal to the dark?" Blaise asked. He wanted to know someone else's view on purebloods and how their minds worked.

"Most dark magic users, we believe are so because they are rejected by others because of their views on supremacy. If the supposed light side rejects you, there is nowhere to go but the dark, and once in there you might as well go all the way is what many figured. When this started, we believe the meaning of dark took on a new meaning. The line between good and bad blurred even further, creating the chaos of today. Families nowadays just follow tradition to make sure not to lose their fortunes and all that they have gained on the dark side of magic." Daphne further developed.

"You saw how showing that your father would not lose what he had gained persuaded him toward our cause, Draco. Am I right?" Harry asked.

"You have a point, but we are diving into the mechanics of how we will gain allies, while we actually started putting the gears in motion." Blaise replied.

"Who is definitely with us right now?" Daphne asked.

"We know that Malfoy, Davis, and Zabini are with us." Tracey confirmed.

"And I think that my mother could maybe make a dent with her sister, Bellatrix. If she could contact her other sister, too, we could have the three Black sisters." Draco guessed.

"Wait. Who are your mother's sisters?" Harry asked curiously.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, husband to Rudolphus. She is currently in Azkaban along with him although I never particularly was fond of him. He was just cruel. Even though Bella is much like him, she shows a different side when around me. She is almost completely different. My parents told me that while I grew up." Draco explained.

"And who is your other aunt?" Harry asked, still curious.

"My mum hardly speaks of her but her name is Andromeda and was kicked out of the Black family for marrying an American. Her last name is Tonks now, and she has a daughter here at Hogwarts currently. I researched that last part." Draco added in his last sentence after receiving strange looks from his friends. "Her official name is Nymphadora but prefers Tonks and is a Hufflepuff in her last year here. In addition, she is a metamorphagus."

"If we had them allied with from us, we would have even more power at our disposal. Who else can we confirm?" Harry asked.

"We were working with some of the Slytherins on the train. As you remember, none of them were actually useful except for one, but their families might prove different. The Crabbes and Goyles will follow whoever is in power as long as they get some power as well, the Parkinsons are the same, but we believe the family of the one we wish to recruit valuable as well." Blaise informed Harry and Daphne.

"Wait, is that why you guys weren't with us on the train?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah, we thought it'd be better to gain some trust now rather than later. The other snakes have not taken that kindly to being ignored in favor of other houses." Tracey replied.

"Good thinking." Daphne sighed at realizing she had sort of abandoned her fellow Slytherin friends. She then perked up at remembering something else. "Come by later. I have something to show you."

"So, what about the Bullstrodes? What do they want?" Daphne asked. She had not gotten to know Millicent well before switching her house.

"They are actually the ones who are showing the strongest resistance against our attempts, that is that have a first year at Hogwarts." Tracey explained.

"Good job, you guys. I'll contact the Elders and let them know. I'll also discuss recruiting Theodore. He could prove useful." Harry replied.

"We'll talk to you tonight in the Command Post. For now, though, we must say goodbye. We'll see you later." Harry said before shaking Draco's and then Blaise's hands. He finished off by hugging Tracey while Daphne hugged everyone.

"You guys never rest, huh?" Draco grinned.

"Neither does good or evil. Why then should the Grey be any different?" Harry grinned back.

Draco shook his head.

"See you." Blaise said simply before Harry and Daphne quickly disabled the wards and magical locks and left.

The couple strode down the hall beside each other towards the basement. Once they arrived Harry and Daphne went to the barrels. Harry reached in between two barrels and touched the badger's head. On the wall to their right, an earthen passageway opened up. Along the walls, torches were magically it. The tunnel spanned a long distance and had a series of turns. Harry and Daphne then proceeded down with the entrance sealing itself behind them. At the end of the passageway, the two came up to a door. It was a dull yellow with stripes of green from plants growing on the door. It had black hinges. Harry pushed on the door to lead them into the entrance to the rest of the Badger's Cave as named by Helga Hufflepuff. The walls of the room were completely made of earth. The floor looked like it was as well but had a stone flooring covered in dirt. The Badger's Cave consisted of the entrance room, the office, training room, Meles's chamber, and the greenhouses. While Helga had refrained from distributing plants everywhere in each room she had put her secret chambers right by the greenhouses and had concentrated her obsession underground. She had done much searching to find the spell that allowed sunlight to flood the huge expanse meant for herbology. There were plants of all shapes, sizes, and types. Helga had planted vegetables, fruits, medicinal and hazardous plants as well as many others. Harry and Daphne, though, ignored the rows of plants and proceeded through to the other side of the greenhouse. At the end, there was no door but a dimly lit cave. Supplied with flowing water from another waterfall. Harry saw another one of the stone crates.

Before the founders had died, they cut their ties with their familiars to allow them to teach their heir(s) their secrets. Salazar had broken his tie with Deus a bit before his death to allow his legacy to live on. He was in the beginning stages of insanity but had not yet lost his mind where he could not use common sense. He had just been paranoid at the time.

"Hello, Daphne, Harry. How were your holidays?" The oversized badger asked. Like Acquilina, Meles was way bigger than a normal organism of her species but was not disproportionate.

"They were pretty well." Daphne smiled.

"That's good, though, I personally hate the winter. Too many plants die, but at least most are reborn even stronger and more beautiful than before." Meles replied.

"Don't we have flowers and such that bloom in the winter here? You have amassed a vast collection." Harry asked.

"Yes, but there aren't many that do. It would be pointless to only have ones that bloom during all times of the year except this season, but the plants that can survive are quite rare. Even then, most of the plants do not bloom; they remain the same all year, which can make it too familiar. Besides, badgers are not supposed to be out during winter all the time." Meles answered.

"Yes, but we could easily say that we do not have to worry about anything freezing in here, including you, and you definitely have more than sufficient food stores." Harry countered with a grin.

Meles then noticed the sundial in the room and sighed. "You should be going. It is almost dinner time."

"We will see you when we next see you then." Daphne smiled.

"Goodbye, Meles. Have a good night." Harry nodded.

"Goodbye, my friends." Meles replied.

Harry and Daphne then quickly left the underground greenhouses and then the Badger's Cave. They then quickly proceeded to meet the others outside of the Great Hall.

"Hey guys." Harry said as they approached.

After everyone exchanged similar greeting with Harry and Daphne, they walked into the Great Hall.

"Hey, Fred…" Daphne began.

"And George." Harry continued.

"How were…" Daphne grinned.

"Your holidays?" Harry finished with a devious grin.

"Oi!" Fred began.

"That's what we sound like?" George asked.

"How terrible!" Fred finished.

"Then stop talking like that, and we'll stop talking like this." Harry bargained.

"I suppose we could…" George began, grinning.

"Give it a shot." Fred finished with the same grin.

They then looked at each other and both said, "This is going to be harder than we thought."

"Don't you have other people to bother?" Dean asked.

"We have friends!" The twins replied.

"Then go talk to them and stop interrupting. Me mum gave me a brand new deck of cards for Christmas, and I've been dying to use it with you guys. The cards are magical." Seamus smirked.

"How exactly are they magical?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised. The twins just shook their heads and walked away.

"Look." Seamus said as he pulled out the deck of cards. They were in a nondescript black paper holder. After Seamus took the cards out, the others still could not see the magic behind them.

"Watch." Seamus said when he saw the others' looks. He then shuffled the deck as he always did: split the deck in half and pile it back together three times, bridge it three times, and take a chunk of the front cards and put it in the back seven times. Seamus had perfected his technique, so it only took him thirty seconds.

"Who's in?" He asked.

Everyone except Daphne replied affirmatively.

"What are we playing?" Harry asked as Seamus dealt everyone, excluding Daphne, cards.

"Five card." Seamus replied as he finished. Harry nodded and picked up his hand.

"_You have a royal flush." _A voice said in Harry's head.

"You hear it?" Seamus asked with a grin.

Everyone nodded.

"Pretty cool… Now, let's finish this round." Harry became serious when his mind went back to the game.

"All right. Who wants some cards?" Seamus asked. He carefully looked at each of his competitors.

Everyone, excluding Harry, traded at least one card. Seamus took two, Neville took one, and Dean took three.

"Ready?" Harry asked. His voice and face held no emotion at all. When the other boys had started playing against him, they thought that he turned into a robot.

Everyone playing nodded his heads.

"Flip them." Seamus said before everyone besides Harry slowly overturned his cards.

"Ha! I win!" Neville exclaimed gleefully.

"Sorry, Neville, but you didn't." Harry said. He then overturned his cards and smirked at Neville's face.

Neville's face smile dropped to the ground.

Seamus grinned at Harry's deception. "Nice draw. I had a feeling you had something good this time." Harry would randomly not trade any cards and willingly have a horrible hand to psyche out the other players. Other times he would pull out a great hand, so the others had no clue to bet more or not during these games.

"Up for another round?" Harry smiled mischievously.

"Prick."

"What does that have to do with another game of cards?" Harry asked.

"Shut up."

"I guess that's a no to another game." Seamus shrugged.

The rest of dinner, everyone shared what happened to him or her during break. Harry and Daphne, though, neglected to share their engagement.

"We will see you three later tonight." Daphne said before she and Harry got up.

"Good bye." Harry said before the two of them left. They proceeded up to their suite and allowed themselves to rest for a couple hours.

"You should talk to Hogwarts to get it out of the way." Daphne sighed halfway an hour after they sat down.

"You're right, like usual." Harry smiled.

"Don't forget it." Daphne tried sounding menacing but laughed at the end.

"Be right back." Harry said before going into his trance-like state.

"Hogwarts, I am in need of your services. Would you please talk to me?' Harry called.

'How may I help you, Harry?' Hogwarts asked in response.

'I need you to include the entire pipe system of the castle in every copy of The Assassins' Map. Can you do it?' Harry asked.

'Of course. It will be there when you wake up. Is that it for now?' Hogwarts replied.

'No, I have one more request, but I have something to share with you, as well. Soon, the Order will be coming to install lifts in the pipes to allow us to move more freely and secretly throughout the school. Do not be alarmed at their presence, but could you drain each of the pipes and put in the necessary spell to allow each of the toilets, sinks, showers, and baths to still run. We don't want to arouse any suspicion, do we?' Harry smiled at the end.

'No, we don't. When you wake up, it will all be done as you wanted.' Hogwarts responded.

'Thank you. I will call upon you if I need anything else.' Harry replied.

'Good bye, Harry.'Hogwarts said before Harry roused from his trance.

"So how was it?" Daphne asked.

"Good. The Assassins' Map should be updated, and the pipes should be empty." Harry grinned.

"Let's see about the map." Daphne said as she removed her copy.

"Kill first or be killed." Daphne said.

Slowly, the lines appeared, but only showed the outside of the castle.

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"Wait." Daphne said before she lifted the very thin but durable page up to reveal a map of all of the pipes. On further inspection of the map, the two found that each floor had a separate page as well as the pipes and the secret passages.

"I wonder how well the others will react to this." Harry chuckled.

"It'll probably take them a few." Daphne laughed as well.

Less than an hour later, Harry and Daphne got up and put on their Assassin robes and collected their familiars. As soon as the curfew bell rang out across the castle, Harry and Daphne disappeared and became shapeless shadows. A minute later, they were in the Command Center. After a few seconds, the other seventeen Assassins appeared in the same fashion as Harry and Daphne had. Each of them then sat down in their seats and turned their chairs to face Harry who remained standing at the front of the room.

"Hello, everyone. It is good to see you again. We can get to sharing how our breaks went with each other after we get down to business." Harry said before becoming very serious. "Everyone here knows that we must interrogate Hagrid about what he extracted from the vault that someone broke into. We also need to find this unicorn killer and stop him. If it gets into the school, it is very probable that many will die and/or our covers will be blown. If our covers are blown, we will lose everything we've accomplished so far and will have to resort to one of the Elders' back-up plans."

"What are their back-up plans?" Blaise asked.

"I do not know. I once tried extracting that information from them but they stonewalled me, saying that our gauntlets would inform us if the situation comes up." Harry replied.

Blaise nodded his head in acceptance.

"Anything else?" Seamus asked.

"Yes. After our meeting, I will be contacting the Elders, asking them to send over some cases that will allow us to travel through the pipes. Hogwarts has already drained them and used its magic to ensure everything that needs water has an infinite supply. Having all of this will allow us to travel more quickly and more secretly. I believe that is all the information dealing with the Elders." Harry finished.

"What do you mean 'dealing with the Elders'?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled. "Nice catch, Hermione. I was concerned that no one would notice my choice of words."

"So, what is it?" Hannah asked.

Without a word, Harry removed his left glove, held up his hand to his face, and turned his palm to his face.

Daphne then stood up and did the same.

All of the girls in the room automatically turned less serious and awed at the pair of rings they saw, rushing towards Daphne to examine her ring more closely. The boys did the same except they just went up to Harry and congratulated him.

"It is about time that you got the courage to ask her out. I thought you had stopped being a Gryffindor and turned more snake." Seamus joked.

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" Draco asked.

"Nothing really, except that it is weaker than Gryffindor." Neville replied.

"And what about Ravenclaw?" Anthony asked.

"And Hufflepuff?" Justin asked.

"Hmm. That is a tough one." George said.

"I would say that the Claws are better than the Puffs…" Fred began, deep in thought.

"But weaker than the snakes, so…" George continued, also in a contemplative voice.

"The Hufflepuffs are the weakest!" The Weasley twins finished with a laugh. As soon as they finished, the boys started arguing and yelling.

"I suppose then that we have a little competition, don't we my friends?" Harry grinned, his voice breaking through his friends' yells.

The others looked at Harry curiously. The girls had stopped admiring Daphne's ring and talking with her as the fighting broke out.

"After we joined the Assassins, I don't believe that anyone really cared about the House Cup, but now that there is some indecision between us I think that we should restart our efforts. Daphne will join Slytherin in their attempts, and I will join Gryffindor in theirs. Whoever wins, wins the House Cup and just a sense of accomplishment." Harry reasoned. Nobody besides Daphne, though, knew of Harry's true plan for this turn of events. "Just make sure that this does not affect your Orderian lives or else you will be humiliated by every other Orderian in some way."

Everyone exchanged a glance with one another before looking t Harry and nodding their heads.

"Good. That is all the business for tonight. I would stay and join you to discuss Christmas, but I have already told you of how I must converse with he Elders." Harry said before saying good night to everyone and leaving the Command Center.

"Acquilina must really be affecting him." Seamus stated.

"No. He is just falling back on his oldest of training. He is getting used to being back behind enemy lines." Daphne replied.

Meanwhile, Harry had been making his way to the Communication Post. After arriving he made his way to the holoterminal and went through the necessary process before being put through to the Elders.

"Hello, infiltrator one. Why may I ask are you calling us on your first day back?" Edward asked as they appeared.

"I thought to inform you that all other infiltrators have been briefed of necessary tasks that need to be performed on this first week back. I also need some cases to set up a way to travel throughout the pipe system of the castle. I already have had them drained and all water and sewage lines have been redirected with magic." Harry said quickly but clearly.

"Good. We'll get those set up for you. You'll be able to retrieve them tomorrow during lunch. Please send over a map of the pipelines, so we may adjust accordingly." Edward replied.

"Just check your copy of the map on paper. I asked the castle to do so to all of them in anticipation of your request." Harry responded.

"Very good. We'll have the cases right over to you, but Harry?" Edward voice turned kind at the end.

"Yes, Edward?" Harry asked.

"Please lighten up. You might be back there as a spy but everything isn't so bad. You have your fiancé and many friends to support you as well as a growing power base." Edward replied.

Harry let Edward's words sink in for a moment before speaking how he had come to speak lately. "Sorry. I was just referring back to my training. I'll be fine now."

"I am sure that you will." Edward nodded. "If that is everything for now, good bye."

"Good bye, Elders. Infiltrators- out." Harry replied before ending the transmission. He then proceeded back to the Command Center to talk with his friends for another hour before everyone finally went back to bed.

The next morning, everyone woke up and went back to training in the Chamber of Secrets. To Harry's dismay, a few of his friends were a little out of practice. He repeatedly, though, ignored their complaints and pushed them past their limits more and more. The rest of the morning went much like past mornings with the Orderians visiting each of their classes and baring through the unsatisfactory lessons until lunch. Everyone quickly ate and left the Great Hall, meeting up in the library. Once all nineteen of them were accounted for, each shadow traveled over to the Chamber of Secrets and then the Transport Room. Eighteen cases with a label of _TS_ were waiting for the Orderians. On one of the pads, there was a note.

It read:

Harry, you will have to be the one to set each of these up in as many pipes as you can. Just have each of them be in as many separated main pipes as you can. We're sorry for this, but you are the only animagus and a basilisk at that. Notify us when the deed is done.

"I'm going to go to bed while you're doing that then." Draco said.

"Asshole."

Everyone then exchanged good byes, and everyone excluding Harry and Daphne left. Harry and had given up on trying to get her to leave to get some more rest at night.

"Could you get Deus and Basiliscum to help me out? I want to get us to bed as soon as we can." Harry asked.

"Sure thing. I'll brief them of the entire situation." Daphne replied before walking off.

Harry smiled and then turned himself into his basilisk form. Once the change was complete, Harry collected six cases in his jaws and then went up one of the pipes. Halfway through, he dropped one off in a small alcove on the side of the pipe. He repeated this process five more times with the other cases and slithered back down into the main entrance of the Chamber. Daphne was waiting for him there.

"We'll wait for Deus and Basiliscum to get back down here. I'll then activate everything, and we'll be all good to go." Harry said after turning back into a human.

Daphne nodded. After five minutes, the two basilisks came slithering up to them.

"_We set those cases down in each of the pipes. Is there anything else you two need for now?" _Deus asked.

"_No, my friend. I apologize for waking you. If you so wish, you may return to resting. I have just got to stay here for a few more minutes and activate the cases. Don't be alarmed by the noise." _Harry replied.

The two basilisks then bade Harry and Daphne good night and traveled back to their den. While the two creatures were doing this, Harry had walked up to the largest pipe and stood, staring at it.

"Travel System, activate!" Harry shouted into the pipe that led to all others in the castle and its grounds. Harry could hear his voice echo down the expanse of pipelines.

"**Control Room Function=Activated. Scanning Area." **After a few moments, Harry heard the cases once more. **"Scan=Complete. Spots=Acquiring." ** Another few seconds, **"Spots=Acquired. Construction=Activated." **Harry and Daphne then heard the mechanical whiz of metal being placed and welded as well as the sound of electricity being installed and ran. After a few minutes, the longest construction had taken so far, Harry and Daphne heard, **"Construction=Completed. Wiring=Completed. Travel System is now installed and fully operational. Self Destruct Sequence=Activated. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0."**

"Let's get out of here." Daphne said before she shadow traveled away to their suite. Harry chuckled and quickly followed suit. Once there, they quickly got ready and went to bed. Like always, they immediately fell asleep.

At one o'clock the next day, the Gryffindor Assassins were dressed in black robes that covered every part of their skin and on their way towards Hagrid's Hut. They were uninterrupted as they approached the door to the small home. Harry indicated for Neville to knock on the door with a tilt of his head. Neville nodded and went up to the massive wooden door and pounded on it with a quick double tap.

"Ah. Hello, what can I do for yeh?" The half giant asked after opening the door.

Harry sighed. He really hated his job sometimes, but this had to be done. Harry quickly shouted, _'__Gigas stupefaciunt!'_ Harry already had both of his wands pointed at Hagrid but had them hidden as well. The half giant immediately fell onto his back and lay as stiff as a board. Harry and his friends then levitated Hagrid back into the hut and onto his bed. His dog, Fang, started barking at the five as they enetered the hut and closed the door. Daphne sent a spell at him that made the dog fall into a deep sleep that would end in ten minutes.

"Neville, Dean, look out the windows and let us know if anyone is coming. Seamus, guard the door and stand ready to help if we need it." Harry commanded.

His friends nodded in response and did as they were told. Daphne then used her wand to cast a spell on the giant that kept he tied down with very strong rope, chains, and cables. She also cast a spell that would silence Hagrid's words once he tried to speak. Harry nodded to Daphne, and she woke the gameskeeper. Autommatically, he tried to shout out and break through his restraints but was unsuccessful. After he had calmed down, Harry asked simply in his distorted voice, "What did you take from Vault 713 on August the First of this year, and is it now at Hogwarts?" As soon as Harry finished his question, Harry dived into the half giant's mind to find the answer at the front of his memory. Harry was so surprised at the answer that he almost jolted out of Hagrid's mind. Thankfully, though, Harry didn't and in doing so avoided being trapped inside the half giant's mind or damaging the kind man. Harry quickly calmed himself and exited Hagrid's mind before nodding to Daphne. She checked her watch before forcing Hagrid into a sleep that would wake him at the same time Fang would. The Assassins weren't worried, though, about the gamekeeper telling anyone for Daphne also edited his memory.

"Let's go." Harry said before shadow traveling to the Chamber of Secrets and removing his robes. Underneath, he was wearing his black slacks, long sleeve red t-shirt, and the black dragonhide jacket Daphne had given him for Christmas. Harry turned around and found that his friends were back in their regular clothes as well. They then quickly shadow traveled into the library to meet up with the rest of their friends except for the Weasley twins.

"So?" Blaise asked as they sat down.

"I know what is behind all of the obstacles." Harry replied.

"What is it?" Michael asked impatiently.

"Anyone ever hear of the sorcerer's stone?" Harry smiled.

"Oh my! No wonder why someone is after it then. The sorcerer's stone can grant a version of immortality if you know how to use it right." Hermione gasped.

"Draco, go shadow travel over to Dad and let him know what is going on. I'll go and contact the Elders. I don't like Dumbledore putting something of such value in my school. If anyone finds out, we're all at risk. Plus, we also have to deal with that unicorn killer. Hannah, you have the best relation with the centaurs. It is about time they filled us in with all they know about this monster in the forest. Take Justin, Hermione, Padma, Neville, Terry, and Susan with you. Everyone else follow Daphne into the Chamber. She will guide you from there." Harry ordered. "Any questions?"

"Should I tell Severus that we're going after it?" Draco asked. Harry nodded. "Who will I be joining once I talk with Severus?"

"Hannah." It was Draco's turn to nod.

"I trust that we have permission to respond to any threats we receive from the centaurs?" Neville asked.

"Of course, but stick to the rules the Elders established before we made first contact." Harry replied. Neville nodded his acknowledgement.

"5" Hannah said.

"4" Neville added.

"3" Draco grinned.

"2" Daphne smiled lightly.

"1" Harry smirked before everyone became black silhouettes against the walls and such of the Hogwarts grounds.

"Harry, why are you calling us at this time?" Victor asked. Harry had just been patched through.

"The object that failed to be stolen resides behind the obstacles here. I found out from Hagrid that it is the sorcerer's stone, which as you know can provide the user with eternal life." Harry informed.

"What do you need from us?" Evelyn asked.

"I need you guys to find Nicholas Flamel's address, so I may send the stone back to him. Every second it is here, the entire castle and its population are at risk. I am taking about to take a team through the obstacles. They are preparing as we speak. Do I have permission to follow through?" Harry replied.

The Elders sat in thought for a moment before Edward spoke. "You have the go ahead. Contact us when you have it and we'll give you further instructions."

"Yes, Edward. Infiltrators- out." Harry replied before heading into the armoury and arming himself with his usual armament except he excluded his sniper rifle. He knew that while anything was possible, they were probably going to fight in close quarters if at all. Once everyone was ready and in his or her Assassin robes, the team met in the main part of the chamber.

"Ready?" Daphne asked. Everyone nodded.

"Then let's get it done." Harry said before he led nine shadows to stand before the door that blockaded the first obstacle.

Harry then unlocked the door and opened it. Just as Hogwarts had told Harry, there was a cerebus standing on top of a trapdoor. Harry quickly cast a powerful spell that put the three-headed dog into a deep sleep. The others then used their magic to move the beast off of the trapdoor. Harry opened it and jumped down. After a few seconds, Harry landed in a plant that automatically wrapped vines around him. Harry, though, did not resist the plants advances to see how it would react. Surprisingly, as Daphne arrived Harry dropped down to the solid ground.

"Relax yourselves! It will constrict you a bit, but if you relax it will soon be over with!" Harry shouted. His voice was loud enough to be heard by all of his friends and his fiancé.

Once everyone was through the Devil's Snare as Dean had called it, the ten proceeded up to another door. The room inside was very tall and held many winged keys.

"We can't get through without one of these keys." Blaise said.

"Looks like it should be pretty old, unless you want to detonate the door?" Seamus asked the second part hopefully.

"I have a better idea." Daphne said before saying, _'Accio old, worn key.'_ Sure enough, one of the winged keys flew into her hand and fit perfectly in the lock.

"Sure, if you want to use magic." Seamus pouted.

"Come on." Harry said as he led the way through the door.

The ten entered a completely dark chamber. Even with their improved senses, they couldn't see. All of a sudden, though, the entire chamber was brightly lit with flaming torches. Once the chamber was illuminated, the Assassins could see that they were standing at the edge of a life-sized chessboard. The black side was closest to them and was opposed by the white chess pieces.

"My guess is that like usual, we have do it the hard way?" Ernie asked.

Harry stood standing for a moment, deep in thought.

"No. I have a better idea." Harry said as he stepped into the middle of the chessboard. His friends were close behind him. "Follow my lead, and make sure that they don't flank us."

Harry then lifted his gloved hands towards the White King and Queen. Seamus, Blaise, Anthony, and Dean followed suit aiming at the pawns. Behind the boys, the other five were doing the same with the black side. "Now." Spells shot out of each of their hands and impacted their intended targets. Some cut through the pieces like butter while others tossed the pieces all over the room in shambles as debris. As soon as the first spells hit, all of the chess pieces charged towards the ten. They were prepared for this movement, though, and repeatedly sent spell after spell at the large masses of stone. After a minute, the fight was over and the ten were already moving towards the door.

"You think that the teachers would have made the obstacles more challenging." Anthony stated.

"Let's not push our luck." Blaise replied.

Harry nodded at the boy's statement and opened the door. On the other side, the ten were surprised but not shocked to see a full-grown mountain troll pacing around the small chamber. Harry nodded to Seamus, and in a second, the beast covered the opposite wall. It coated the wall so well that there was not a single chunk to be seen. Seamus's exploding spells were that strong. The ten then proceeded into the next chamber. Across from them, there was a wooden table with seven differently shaped standing in a line. The ten carefully stepped all the way into the chamber and found themselves with purple fire to their backs and with black flames in front of them. There was a roll of paper on the table.

It read:

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

"Dad is absolutely brilliant." Harry smiled.

"I can't believe he would use a logic puzzle." Blaise shook his head.

"Well, you Brits are always focusing on magic or whatever instead of what is important, like us Irish." Seamus replied. He received glares from all but three of the other nine.

"Too bad, though, that we have to cheat the puzzle." Harry sighed, before shadow traveling to the other side. Everyone followed in behind him and found him or herself in a round chamber that had stone steps that led down towards the floor. In the middle of the chamber, a mirror stood.

"We both know that you're happy that you already solved it." Daphne replied.

"This just eliminates the purpose of the puzzle, though. It doesn't sit right with me." Harry responded. Daphne nodded. She already knew the reasons why and felt the same way, but they didn't want to leave their friends out.

"Let's get this done." Harry said before walking up to the mirror and examining it.

Along the top, it read: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._

"Tracey?" Harry asked.

"It is in the simplest code you can create. Read it backwards, and don't pay attention to the spaces." She replied.

"How is this supposed to help us get the stone then?" Michael asked. No one had yet looked into the mirror itself except for one.

"Wait." Harry said. Everyone stared at him.

"It is right here." Harry said as he pulled it out of his pocket.

"How the hell did you just…?" Michael stared.

"I don't know exactly how, but when I stared into the mirror, I found my reflection tapping my pocket. Logically, I tried it, and as you can see it worked." Harry replied.

"Let's get out of here." Daphne said before all of them disappeared into the shadows, leaving the mirror behind.

A few seconds later, the ten arrived back in the Communications Post.

"Contacting Grey Base One. Come in, Grey Base." Harry spoke as he operated the terminal.

"Please send authentication." A robotic voice replied. Harry pressed a few more buttons on the panel. "Code accepted. How may I be of service to you and your counterparts?"

"Patch us through top the Elders. Priority two." Harry responded.

"Patching you through now. Have a nice day."

"Elders, we have the stone. You were right about how the obstacles worked, but there is no need to worry. Everything we did looks like dark wizards or withes unknown performed the acts. Do you have that address for us?" Harry said quickly and clearly.

"Yes. He lives in Flamel Manor in the Southern French countryside. He has no official address. Send Hedwig to deliver the stone." Evelyn replied.

"All right. Anything else we should know?" Seamus asked.

"Pretend that none of this happened and wait for further missions and such from now on. Besides the Unicorn killer, you have no further missions… for now." Victor replied.

"Good work, and we'll see you next time we talk." Edward added.

The spies at Hogwarts nodded while Harry said, "Yes, Edward. Infiltrators- out."

"What now?" Tracey asked.

Harry thought for a moment. "Dean, contact the others and see how they are doing."

Dean nodded and activated his gauntlet's holoscreen. After a couple minutes, Dean shut off the projection and looked over at his friends. "The centaurs say that some have glimpsed the creature sometimes, but all of them have run in fear at the sight. They never got a good look at it, and they have no idea where it will appear to hunt next."

"All right. Are they on their way over here?" Harry asked.

As soon as Harry finished speaking, the other nine Assassins materialized out of the shadows.

"My guess would be… yes." Dean replied with a grin.

"We have a problem, Harry." Draco said solemnly as he stepped forward.

"What do we have?" Harry asked.

"Apparently… the creature is… Vol… Vol…" Draco said slowly. Finally, he mustered up all of his courage. "Voldemort."

"You mean… You-Know-Who is back and is in the Dark Forest?" Michael asked.

Automatically, Harry turned straight towards him. He almost looked angry. "Say his name."

"What?" Michael asked, shocked.

"You heard me. Say his name. I can understand fearing him. He was a strong power, but it is _very_ unbecoming of a Grey Assassin. All throughout our history, members have always faced a very strong and terrible force. I don't know if Voldemort is ours, but if he is, I don't want any of you pissing in your boots at the mere mention of his name. What would happen if, no when, we face him?"

Everyone besides Daphne looked down gravely.

"Harry's right," Seamus said, "We are going to have to face off Voldemort, and I for one am not going to let him have any advantages over me."

"We can take that rotten stink of flesh." Blaise said proudly.

"That's what I like to hear. Now, who told you this? When you got off the network, you had no new information." Harry said, turning to Draco, Neville, and Hannah.

"As we were starting to leave out of the camp the old fashioned way, we were stopped by a centaur named Firenze. He told us about what is really going on. The centaurs honestly do not know, but he was able to stumble upon... Voldemort when he was feeding. He managed to calm his nerves and realize that he'd encountered the man before, although he seemed like two people." Hannah replied.

"Hmm." Harry said, deep in thought. "I take it then he has he encountered Voldemort before?"

"Yes. Although, his energy signal, he said, was distorted by another energy, he knows that was Voldemort." Neville replied.

"We have a major problem then. I might only have a rudimentary understanding of energy signatures, but I think I know why Voldemort's signature was distorted." Harry waited to see everyone's reactions. After seeing their encouraging looks, Harry continued, "I believe he might be attached to another person."

Everyone gasped at this.

"Draco, inform Severus and tell him to also notify the Elders. They need to know, and I want us protecting the castle. Everyone else, disrobe from your Assassin robes but keep as many weapons hidden on your person as possible. I don't like this at all. For all we know, Voldemort could be attached to a student or even a teacher." Harry instructed before heading over to the armoury and putting away his rifle and robes. The Assassins had established a system that apparated their robes to their secret spots. He already had his regular clothes on underneath. He strapped his wands and two daggers to his wrists, hid two Berettas in the back of his trousers, and hid one Beretta and the sorcerer's stone in the secret pockets in his jacket's lining. The dragonhide jacket was bulky enough where the pistol and the stone's presence couldn't arouse any suspicion.

Harry then checked his watch to see the time.

"Shit! It's six o'clock!" Harry called to his friends. They responded in a similar fashion as Harry had.

"Let's go get dinner. Tonight, we'll have shifts checking the Assassins' Map to try and detect any abnormalities. I'll take first watch, Daphne will take second, and she will send one of you a message telling you it is your turn. Then, that person will send the next person a message for his or her turn. If you are sent a message and have already done it, reply doing so. I'll start my shift at nine, and the last person will end theirs at six. Each shift will be a half hour." Harry explained. "Tracey, Blaise, please relay that to Draco, and we'll relay it to Fred and George. Any questions?"

Everybody shook his or her head negatively.

"Let's go then." Harry said before everyone shadow traveled back to the library, walked out, and went to the Great Hall.

Halfway through their supper, Severus approached Harry.

"Potter, come with me." He said snidely.

"Yes, sir." Harry sighed with a grim expression on his face before getting up. Daphne started to stand as well but was stopped by Severus.

"This meeting is just between Potter and me, so you may sit, Miss Greengrass. I think you can survive an hour without him." He said before tuning and leading Harry to his office.

"I'm sorry for that, Harry, but we must keep up false pretenses. With the stone retrieved and the obstacles destroyed, we have to be extra cautious." Severus said as he sat down in his chair.

"Don't worry. I understand. I'll send Hedwig on her way when I get back to the suite." Harry replied.

"Good." Severus responded. "So Draco told me everything about the unicorn killer."

"And?" Harry asked.

"I have had my suspicions about a certain teacher, although the Elders think it is too obvious that even Dumbledore should see it." The potions master replied.

Harry thought for a moment before realizing who it was. "Quirrel. With that turban always on his head, he could easily hide any signs of Voldemort if they are on his head and can hide the rest of his body with his robes."

"Exactly, but the Elders believe it too easy." Severus responded.

"I know what to do." Harry said before he explained his plan to Severus.

"It could work, and we have nothing to lose on it. The worst it can come to is that the faculty has to be involved if your plan fails." Severus replied.

"All right. I'll message everyone about the plan and the cancellation of shifts. I'll see you, Dad." Harry responded before hugging Severus.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Harry." Severus smiled back before Harry left and went back to his suite.

"Hey, Daph." Harry said after closing the door behind him.

"Hey. I already sent everyone the message." She replied, getting off the couch and hugging her fiancé. "I figured you would want to write the letter yourself."

"Get ready for bed. I'll be quick." Harry smiled. She smiled back and nodded her head.

As Daphne went into the bedroom, Harry entered their office and sat down and began to quickly write on the piece of parchment. Once he finished, Harry put it into an envelope and put down the recipient's address. He then took out the stone, wrapped it in some spare parchment, and put it in the envelope as well before licking the wax shut. Harry then went over to Hedwig's cage.

"Hey, girl. Could you go give this to Nicholas Flamel for me?" Harry asked.

The snow owl hooted and hopped onto Harry's arm in response.

Harry chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." He then went over to the office window and opened it.

"I'll see you, Hedwig. Just try attracting attention, though, from anyone. If this doesn't get into Flamel's hands, a lot of things could easily go wrong, okay?" Harry said before extending his arm out the window. A second later, the bird was soaring out into the night sky. Harry quickly closed the window and got ready for bed before joining Daphne.

"School is sure getting interesting, huh?" Daphne chuckled.

"And it is only the end of the weekend." Harry laughed before the two fell asleep.

That Friday night during dinner in the Great Hall, Harry got a response from the famous sorcerer. All of the Assassins were eating their healthy food when everyone's dinner in the Great Hall was interrupted by a large phoenix flying into the Great Hall. Harry, Draco, and Daphne knew immediately that it wasn't Fawkes. They had been in Dumbledore's often enough. It glided down and gracefully perched itself on the table in front of Harry. Harry followed along with everyone else's expression and acted shocked. The phoenix then dropped something from its talons. On closer inspection, Harry found them to be two letters, both addressed to him. Harry opened the smaller one first and took out the parchment inside. He then calmly unfolded the parchment and began to read.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I wished to thank you for returning my stone to me. Your headmaster had suddenly insisted on keeping it in Britain to help keep it safe, but his wards must not have been great to fall to a group of eleven year olds if your words are true. I have realized, though, that through this event there is an illuminating meaning. Perenelle and I have agreed that we should not trust the stone's safekeeping to anyone beside ourselves. I am surprised that just as I lose my paranoia over its theft, these events have brought it back with a vengeance. I do not know what motive my old friend Dumbledore has, but I have learned now that no matter how much I might age, I must always be diligent. I have entrusted a look alike of the real stone in the other letter as well as another letter much like this without my opinions of Dumbledore at the moment. Again, I applaud the amount of will you possess to have sent me back my stone. If you are ever in the French countryside and need some advice, directions, or just a warm place to stay for a day or two, feel free to knock on my door._

_Sincerely,_

_Nicholas Flamel_

P.S. Please destroy or keep well hidden this copy of the letter. We would not want Dumbledore to finds it.

Harry smiled and folded the letter back up before replacing it in the envelope and picking up the other letter. He quickly opened it and read the letter through. He then replaced the parchment back into the envelope and put the letters in his pockets. Harry gave the phoenix a turkey leg, which it swallowed whole without any problem. It then nodded to Harry and took back off, heading back to the ancient alchemist and his wife. Thankfully, though, Dumbledore was currently in his office.

Just when the students and staff of Hogwarts thought that that night couldn't get stranger, the Assassins managed to give them one more shock.

"Potter!"

Everyone in the Great Hall turned towards the voice and was confounded by Quirrel shouting Harry's name with malice.

"You have taken what is rightfully my master's! You shall die!" The defense against the dark arts teacher said in the same voice, gone was his stuttering former self.

"Who is your master?" Harry asked curiously.

Harry then heard whispering from the teacher's turban.

"Yes, master." Quirrel replied before slowly unwrapping his turban. He then turned around to reveal a face implanted on the back of the bald man's head.

"Harry Potter. I can see you are very surprised to see me. Then again, I can't expect you to be fearful since you defeated me when you were just a mere baby. Tonight, though, I will fix that mistake. Once I have enough unicorn blood to strengthen my powers, I, Voldemort will once again be the great power I once was!" The face shouted to Harry before directing his words to Quirrel. "Kill he boy!"

Quirrel nodded and charged Harry but was stopped by a spell cutting deep gashes all over his chest. Severus stood at the teachers' table but quickly walked down the small set of steps and approached the corpse. Suddenly, though, a black smoke emerged from Quirrel's body and rushed at Harry. It went through him, though, without harming him in the slightest before leaving the castle and its grounds.

"What did you hit him with, Severus?" McGonagall asked as she approached.

"A spell I came up with years ago. I have not used it in a while, so I forgot how devastating it can be, although he deserved it, I must say." The former Death Eater said quietly.

"What do you mean by that? He was our colleague!" McGonagall responded.

"It doesn't matter. Remember the last wizarding war? Many people betrayed their former friends and colleagues to that monster. Apparently Quirrel was one of them." Severus replied.

McGonagall nodded grimly in response before addressing everyone. "All students please head back to your dormitories! Prefects lead your houses!"

As everyone was walking out, Harry grinned.

"What's so funny, Potter?" Ronald spat.

"Nothing, Ronald. Now, leave me alone to my friends before I have to show you that I mean business." Harry replied coldly. Ronald nodded his head hurriedly and walked over to another part of the Gryffindor mass of students.

"So what was so funny, Harry?" Seamus asked in a hushed tone. Harry put up an unnoticeable shield around the Gryffindor Orderians to stop prying ears from overhearing their conversation.

"How predictable Voldemort is. He thinks himself so different from every other wizard, but in reality he is as ignorant and stupid as Dumbledore who is his strongest match." Harry replied, causing the others to grin as well.

"He really was, wasn't he?" Dean laughed.

"It all went according to plan." Harry smiled before he and Daphne detached from the others and went to their marriage suite for a normal school year. In the coming months, the Orderians would accomplish no more missions except for staying hidden from everyone who was not a Grey Assassin and bearing through their inadequate classes. Their first year would hold no more surprises for Hogwarts and its occupants.

**AN: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. As much as this may sound like the end of the first book, I am just moving on. All of my other plans require the Orderians at Hogwarts to be older to help with some events I have in mind. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can, but until then, keep reading and reviewing my stories. Each review I get enhances my will to write. If none of you reviewed, I probably would have halted this story a while ago, so I especially thank all of my most loyal of readers. You've kept me going, and with you behind me, I don't think I'll ever stop. Occidere Prima Vel Occidi.**

**_Gigas stupefaciunt: "_Giant Stun" (most effective against giants, whose tough skin normally resists the average stunning spell).**


	18. Third Year

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's **_**Harry Potter**_** series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Communication Through the Mind or Communicator or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

_**The Grey Assassins**_

**Chapter 18**

It had been a little under one and a half years since Quirrel had gone crazy and tried to kill Harry Potter but was stopped by Severus Snape, the potions professor. At least, that was how _The_ _Daily Prophet_ reported it two days later. To the students and faculty of Hogwarts, that was the last strange event… for now. During the one and a half years, the Orderians had accomplished several more missions and expanded their base of operations to a grand size. While those events unfolded during the past two summers and one holiday break, the families of each of the Orderians grew into a tight nit group at least privately. The Longbottoms, Finnegans, Finch-Fletchlies, MacMillans, Thomases, Boneses, Abbotts, Corners, Boots, Grangers, Goldsteins, and Tonkses became a united front in the public's eye while the Davises, Malfoys, Greengrasses, Zabinis, Notts, Goyles, Crabbes, and Parkinsons did the same. Each side appeared to hate the other, and the average wizard believed that if something were to set them off, there would be a war. When the families gathered, everyone could not stop laughing at this fact.

Now, though, each family was in their own house, and Harry was in his office inside Greengrass manor. Anton had expanded part of the manor to allow this since Harry was reserving his own inspection of his manors next summer. He was going to examine each of them then because of the wedding that was to be held towards the end of that same summer. Harry had been reading one of Godric's strategy books when a barn owl had tapped on the office's main window and delivered him the latest copy of possibly the most biased newspaper ever created. Harry had paid the bird just to amuse himself for a few minutes with the amateur quality of the paper, but after taking one look at it, Harry was not even chuckling.

On the front page of _The_ _Daily Prophet_,it pictured what appeared to be an insane convict in a black and white striped jumpsuit. After reading through the article that came along with the picture, Harry was shocked. Apparently, Draco's mother and aunts' cousin had escaped from the most fiercely guarded prison in all of Britain, Azkaban. While Harry thought the place could do with some more improvements to increase its security, he believed that the place was the British wizarding world's greatest accomplishment.

'_Draco, I bet, will find this piece of news very interesting. I wonder how he escaped, let alone managed to stay intelligent enough to hatch a plan to elude the dementors.' _Harry thought as he sat in his leather-backed chair.

The Greengrasses had just finished breakfast, and it was Harry's routine to stay in the room for a few minutes before heading downstairs to spend time with the others. Although it was the night before students were to head off to Hogwarts, Harry didn't like to leave anything unresolved. Later that morning, the Orderians would meet to discuss any last matters before they headed off to the educationally lacking school.

"Don't start planning ways to escape that awful place, Harry." Daphne sighed as she entered the room.

Harry didn't even bother trying to convince her otherwise. "Sorry. It just fascinates me how someone could do what this Sirius Black has done, and it makes me wonder if I could do the same."

Daphne just shook her head and sighed. "Let's just go downstairs and spend time with my parents and Tory before we are gone for five months."

Harry nodded and smiled before getting up and walking with her downstairs.

"Hi, Harry. Anything of interest in the paper this morning?" Anton asked as they entered the living room. Anton had would normally read the paper when he had the time at work.

"Draco's second cousin, Sirius Black, escaped Azkaban." Harry replied as he sat down.

"What?" Iris gasped.

"Nobody knows how he accomplished it. You know how the Ministry is at doing anything of any real worth." Harry responded nonchalantly.

"You don't know, do you Harry?" Anton asked.

Realization dawned on Harry as soon as Anton finished his statement. He had avoided his past since two Christmases ago.

"He killed my parents." Harry stated angrily.

"Harry, calm down. You don't want to go looking for this guy. Killing him will not bring back your parents. Nothing can." Daphne soothed her fiancé.

Harry fumed for another minute but slowly assuaged his anger. He nodded to Daphne.

"All right. Do you guys have everything packed?" Anton asked, diverting the previous subject to a lighter one.

"Of course. We have had everything ready since before breakfast." Daphne chuckled.

"You know you can still be children right? You don't have to be Orderians all of the time." Anton replied.

"Speaking of the Order, we should be going." Harry said as he checked his watch.

"I'm afraid you're right. We'll meet you at the platform to say a proper good-bye." Iris responded, hugging the two.

"Tory, get down here with your things! I think you would rather be prepared rather than late." Anton called.

"Coming!" Astoria replied hurriedly.

"We'll see you guys soon." Harry said before he and Daphne apparated into the Transport Room at Grey Base One.

The two then showed off their tattoo, proceeded past the guards, and navigated their way to the Council's Chamber. They nodded to the guards and waited for a reply nod before walking inside the massive sized room. The other nineteen new Orderians as well as the Elders were already there, waiting for them.

"Care to explain your tardiness?" Edward asked expectantly.

"We found an interesting piece of news in the _Daily Prophet _today." Daphne replied.

Edward's eyebrow rose to ask for further explanation.

"Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban." Harry gritted through his teeth. As expected, the others in the room excluding Daphne and the Elders bore a look of slight surprise. All of them were trained to show a minimum amount of emotion when discuss. The only reason they showed that much feeling was out of respect to Harry and the conflict he had surely to be feeling.

"I am sorry, Harry. If there is anything I can do-" Victor began.

"Don't worry about it. If the man has any common sense, he will avoid me to as much an end as he can. Because if he comes after me, I will make sure he will pay for his mistakes." Harry interrupted.

Victor solemnly nodded. He knew that as much as it would be bad for a normal person to be this angry, Harry was still thinking. Victor could tell from the threat Harry had made.

"Anyways, we have no current reports for you. Although, I think you will be pleased to know that the goblin nation is fully behind us now. It has taken us some time to cease their many concerns, but it has been finally accomplished. As long as we do not betray them, they will never turn traitor against us. As a result, they are cooperating with us to ready everything we will need for when you reveal your heritage and we reveal ourselves to the public. All charges against Dumbledore are ready to be filed and his vaults can be closed at a single word." Edward informed.

"Good. Any new missions you have for us…" Fred began.

"Or are we so good that we've already accomplished them?" George grinned.

Edward shook his head. "There are no new missions for any of you. Like last year, you are to examine each new student and see if any can be recruited. Besides that, just pretend to be normal children, but if you are to hear any reports of Black approaching the castle, prepare to bring him in for questioning. It could be useful to know how he managed to escape Azkaban."

"Can we kill if we can't capture?" Harry asked.

"You will capture. No exceptions." Edward replied.

"Yes, Edward." Harry responded begrudgingly.

"Because of Black's escape, you should know that the Ministry of Magic has posted dementors around the castle and its grounds. Be assured to know, though, that each of you do know the patronus charm. It will save you from their effects." Henry said.

"Thank you. Anything else of note before we head over to the platform and depart for the year?" Daphne asked.

"I believe that is it for now. We will contact you if the situation arises." Edward replied. "Dismissed."

The students and adult nodded before exiting the chamber and heading for the Transport Room.

"So, Tonks how is auror training?" Harry asked as they walked.

"So boring. I would rather spend my time here than there, but at least I have top marks." Tonks replied.

Draco nodded. "I can understand, cousin. The past two years have been hell at school since we acquired our Orderian books, especially history."

"What classes are you guys taking?" Tonks asked.

"We came up with a rather brilliant plan our changing friend." George grinned.

"You see, all of the Gryffindors…" Fred continued.

"Excluding Hermione of course, the Gryffindors are taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination since that is what would be expected of us." They both finished.

"The Slytherins are doing the same since Dumbledore doesn't expect much from us if at all, and we wouldn't want to be separated from the little lions. You know how they can get scared without a mighty snake behind them." Draco teased at the end.

"We're not the ones whose asses were saved by Gryffindor's symbol and pet, Jericho." Seamus retorted.

"Us Ravenclaws and Hermione are taking Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures. We hear Hagrid is teaching this year so it should not be as lacking." Anthony dismissed the petty jibes between the two houses.

"Then Hufflepuff is taking Creatures and Divination. Everything else is a waste, so might as well settle for the least taught subject." Hannah finished.

"Why such an interest in Care of Magical Creatures? Don't we have detailed enough classes here?" Tonks asked as they entered the Transport Room.

"We do, but it will be interesting to see how Hogwarts teaches it." Harry replied. "We'll see you during the next meeting."

"Have fun at auror training… Nymphadora." Draco smiled before the teens apparated to the appropriate buildings that surrounded the station. Behind them, the guards were unsuccessfully trying to restrain Tonks for angrily casting a string of spells at the teens' departing figures. They were not able to hold her for long, however, for she quickly apparated back to the auror academy.

Meanwhile, Harry and Daphne had appeared next to Astoria, Anton, and Iris, and the five were proceeding into the station. After purchasing the three tickets needed for the three children, the family went to the brick wall. As they proceeded along, the Malfoy, Nott, Goyle, Crabbe, and Parkinson families fell into line with them, forming an impressive group in black clothing. When they arrived at the entrance to the platform, the families purposefully strode forward. After exchanging good-byes, the students bordered the train and went into the miscellaneous compartment as it had been called. As more and more people joined, others found it harder to come up with an appropriate name for the group. Once inside, they quickly put up their belongings and waited for the others. A few seconds later, Neville led the Gryffindors into the compartment. Hannah guiding the Hufflepuffs and Anthony at the front of the Ravenclaws followed behind him. Once everyone was finished packing up. Harry locked the door with a short movement of his hand.

"Welcome back, everyone. I think we should just get business out of the way so we can lighten the air." Harry smiled. Everyone nodded seriously.

"The Elders told us to just check out the potentials this year. I will add to that and say to not just check first years. See if anyone has changed over summer. Who knows? We might get lucky." Harry paused to see if his words had soaked in. Once satisfied, he continued, "You guys should also be notified that dementors are posted at the castle this year, so be cautious when traveling around the grounds, especially for Order business. The increased security is to ensure student safety because of the recent escape of Sirius Black. If you see Black and you are alone, call for help. I cannot stress how important it is that he does not escape our grasp. If you are with other fellow Assassins, you may attempt to capture but not kill the convict. The Order has the peculiar desire to interrogate him. Did I miss anything, Daph?"

"I think you covered everything." Daphne smiled back.

"Then that is it." Harry's serious demeanor then fell. "So how was life away from Hogwarts?"

"Thankfully, more honest." Pansy let out a deep breath.

"At least you can be honest with your family." Susan sighed. "I still have not told my aunt about the Order. All she knows is that I share a friendship with you guys, but she also believes that we never discuss politics in our gatherings."

"I don't see any reason why not to involve her in our matters. I think it could make everything better all around." Harry figured.

"I thought the Elders prohibited her joining at the moment? I thought they said that 'it posed too may risks'?" Susan asked.

"They did and did, but I'm the future leader of the Order. We'll head out on Saturday. It'll just be Susan, Draco, Neville, Hannah, and me. Everybody else, give the castle hell while we are gone. It is always fun to hear the shit hitting the fan and spraying all over Dumbledore." Harry chuckled the last part. Everyone nodded at the assignments.

"Do you think we can we trust Severus with this? Or do you think he will report to the Elders?" Ernie asked.

"Do you guys remember the oath we took when we signed on for this? It holds family in a higher regard. Dad is my father, so he wouldn't tell. It won't matter either way, but if you do tell him, please also ask for it to be kept secret." Harry replied.

"What about the Elders? They won't be happy when they find out." Tracey asked.

"Screw the Elders! They aren't always right. Besides, we can't become the new generation if they keep on baby-sitting us! We have to achieve our own accomplishments and failures alike." Seamus replied.

"I think that is the smartest thing you have yet contributed in our meetings, Seamus." Theodore responded with a smirk.

Seamus flipped him the bird and pressed on. Theodore just chuckled at Seamus's actions. "Think about it. Every single mission, objective, everything in general has been given to us by the Elders. We need to start becoming our own entity and start commanding ourselves."

Everyone was silent in thought, soaking in the Irish teen's words.

"As much as I agree with you Seamus, and I do to a degree, we still have some things to learn." Harry replied.

"I understand what you are saying, but Harry we need to start snipping a few of the chords that make us the Elders' puppets." Seamus paused for a moment. "We at least need to start setting up our own ranks and leaders. The Elders have taken a good amount of time in postponing that already. If they won't help us with some necessities, then we need to start doing what they can't or won't."

"Seamus is right, Harry. I think we should start training harder and faster. We are almost halfway through our Hogwarts careers, and we have not done much more than what our mercenaries have done. We need to get some outside help." Blaise added.

"What would you suggest?" Harry asked.

"We do what Seamus said, and start setting up ranks for ourselves. Although we will always be equal in rights, we should start designating a chain of command." Draco suggested.

"We obviously know Harry will be alpha." Anthony thought.

"How will we decide the rest?" Justin asked.

"I say that when we arrive at Hogwarts we decide by simulation. The base could run various simulations to see the other four main leaders." Michael offered.

"Why four?" Pansy asked.

"Tradition. Five has always been the key number for the Orderians. It will be fitting to still keep to tradition while breaking other formalities." Harry replied. Pansy nodded.

"As soon as we can, we'll start teleporting military experts from around the world to help teach us as many new forms as we can. We'll obliviate them when we're finished with them." Daphne said.

"Are we all in agreement?" Harry asked. He received a nod from everyone. "Good. Now let's change before we reach the castle."

Everyone then rose and proceeded into the two dressing rooms. When they came out, any student except for him or herself could tell that they were armed with more than wands and knowledge. The group than sat down and divided into two groups, the boys or card players and the girls. A couple hours later, the train had an untimely stop.

As soon as the train had started to slow, Harry and friends' nerves grew tense. All of them knew that they were not set to arrive for another hour.

"Wands out." Harry commanded. Everyone nodded and turned towards the door to the compartment. Harry unlocked the door with a quick but silent spell.

Slowly but steadily, the air grew frosty and morbid. It felt as if something had soaked all of the joy out of the compartment.

"Stay strong." Harry encouraged his friends. "We've been trained to deal with dementors."

"At least they taught us that much." Blaise commented but gripped his wands tighter.

Suddenly, the temperature in the compartment dipped further as a figure in a black cloak floated in front of the door. Everyone's eyes were completely concentrated on the door. Everything else was tuned out. While Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson were not official Orderians, they went along with the others training and mission wise. The Elders had been adamant in denying the three full accesses to Order Archives despite them helping the youngest Assassins throughout second and about half of first year.

The dark creature slid the door along its track and twenty-three all shouted, _'Expecto Patronum!'_

The beast was hit with the beams and was pushed against the opposite wall. The Orderians didn't end the spell, though, trying to keep the dementor at bay. After a few seconds, though, there was nothing left of the dementor for the beams of light had ripped the creature apart and destroyed every shred of the cloak and the bony figure underneath it. When this occurred, the twenty-three automatically ended the spell and hid their wands.

"I didn't expect that." George commented. The others just nodded their heads.

A couple seconds later, the chill and morbidity in the air dissipated, and a man in disorganized clothes ran up to the large group.

"Are you children all r-" The man began to ask until he saw on the wall the marks of the spells the Orderians had used on the dementor.

"Yes. We're fine, Mr.…?" Harry replied.

"Uh… Lupin. My name is Remus Lupin. I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher…. Is that a dementor on the wall?" The man responded slowly.

"What's left of it anyway. I guess twenty-three patronus charms will do that to a dementor." Seamus shrugged.

Lupin stood, dumbfounded that students so young could accomplish such a feat.

"Well thank you, professor, for your concern, but it is unnecessary. As you can see, we can handle ourselves, so we will see you later at the feast." Harry replied before the twenty-three walked back into the compartment and locked the door.

Lupin stood for a few more seconds before gathering his wits and going back to his compartment. As the students sat down, the train began to move once more.

"That was a great way to start a new year, huh?" Blaise grinned.

"No kidding. The Elders weren't joking when they said that the ministry had posted dementors around the castle. If this is just the train ride, imagine the actual castle itself." Neville replied.

"The centaurs will not be happy about this." Tracey advised.

"I'll try to put them at ease and tell them to watch out for Black." Hannah replied.

Harry nodded. "Good idea. We don't need them against us. Perform your plan whenever the first opportunity arises."

The conversation then switched over to more friendly subjects and proceeded on until they separated in the Great Hall.

After the sorting was completed, Dumbledore rose from his throne and the hall went silent.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

He paused, and Harry figured that Dumbledore was not happy with the Dementors guarding the school.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises." He advised. "It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors," he said.

Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from Harry, stayed true to his disguise, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.

"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.

Severus was staring along the staff table at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that he wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but even Harry, who loved and had known Severus a long time, was startled at the expression twisting his thin, sallow face. It was beyond anger: it was loathing. Harry knew that expression only too well; it was the look Severus wore every time he set eyes on Harry when normal people were watching.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties."

The entire Great Hall broke out in tumultuous applause that was particularly loud at the Gryffindor table.

Harry leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was ruby red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard.

As Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, the Orderians noted that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. All of the Orderians quickly decided on the healthiest and most worthwhile meal to eat before starting to consume their dinner. Even Crabbe and Goyle, who still ate more than any of the others, had paused to think on what they would eat before acting a little like their usual selves and ate ravenously.

It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. The Orderians, however, were eager for it to finish so that they could start to go and get this year over with. The only thing of note last year was Lucius revealing that he had held onto a book that had belonged to Voldemort. Lucius had quickly given it to the Order, who hired experts to study the blank book. Finally, it was revealed that Voldemort's teenage self was resting inside the book, a strange magic linking him to it. Deus had recognized it and bit it, ripping it into thousands of pieces.

At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed, and the Orderians got their chance to retire to their rooms. Everyone separated and went into their rooms. While the normal student hopped into their beds and quickly went to sleep, the Orderians quickly hid their weapons and robes. The castle put everything else away. Dumbledore had asked last year to examine each item the mix-matched group possessed for anything interesting like contraband, but Hogwarts had deceived him and told him that everything was as expected. The Orderians knew Hogwarts had done that this year for them as well.

"Well. I think this year will be a lot more interesting than last year since Black escaped." Daphne said after she came out dressed in her silk nightgown.

"Hopefully. If it isn't, I might go insane form boredom." Harry replied as they slipped underneath the covers.

"We'll see." Daphne said before closing her eyes. "Good night."

"Night." The two quickly were fast asleep.

In the coming months, the Orderians would become very interested in school much like many of them had at some point in their fist year. They would find that while Lupin's teachings were still inadequate, they were much better than the other teachers' lessons. Lupin had a more hands on approach that reminded the Assassins of their training. In training, you were shoved right into the action. You did not proceed in the class until you understood the lesson completely and could use it easily. One of Lupin's lessons, though, was particularly interesting and involved a boggart in a wardrobe. He had ordered everyone into a line in the staff room and had recited to him or her that the required spell that would stop the creature.

"The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see the thing that really finishes a Boggart is _laughter_. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.

"We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please… _Riddikulus_!"

'_Riddikulus!'_ said the class together.

"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

The wardrobe shook again but the Orderians present and Lupin paid it no mind.

"Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville stood for a moment, deep in thought. "Bellatrix LeStrange."

This surprised Lupin to say the least. "You know…?"

Neville grimly nodded. It was then Lupin's turn to stand in thought for a moment before resuming the lesson.

"Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?" Lupin looked expectantly.

"Yes." Neville replied warily.

"I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"

Neville said, "Well… always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress… green, normally… and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."

"And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin.

"A big red one," said Neville.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"Yes," said Neville knowingly. The Order had given them a brief lesson over boggarts. They did not think that they were very noteworthy.

"When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Bellatrix LeStrange," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand thus, cry _'Riddikulus'_ and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Bellatrix Boggart LeStrange will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."

There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.

"If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical…"

The room went quiet. Harry thought, _'What scared him most in the world?'_

"Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin.

Everyone nodded, and some rolled up their sleeves.

"Neville, we're going to back away," said Professor Lupin. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward… Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot."

They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He had a look in his eyes that had never been shown to the regular students at Hogwarts. The look was a face of deadly serious determination. His sleeves were rolled up and held his wand in front of him at the ready.

"On the count of three, Neville," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One, two, three, _now_!"

A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. True to what everyone expected, Bellatrix LeStrange stepped out of the wardrobe, her wild eyes glancing all around. Finally, she locked her eyes on Neville and began reaching for her wand.

'_Riddikulus!' _Neville shouted.

There was a noise like a whip crack. Bellatrix stumbled; she was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and she was swinging a huge crimson handbag.

There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Severus rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a bloodstained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising-

"_Riddikulus!_" cried Parvati.

A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off.

"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.

Seamus darted past Parvati.

_Crack_! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face: a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek that made the hair on Harry's head stand on end - "_Riddikulus!_" Seamus had shouted fearlessly.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.

_Crack_! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then: _crack_! It became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before - _crack_! - It became a single, bloody eyeball.

"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!"

Dean hurried forward.

_Crack_! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

"_Riddikulus!_" yelled Dean without hesitation.

There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.

"Excellent! Ron, you next!"

Ron leapt forward.

_Crack_!

Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Harry thought Ron had frozen. Then:

"_Riddikulus!_" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Harry's feet. He raised his wand, ready for whatever would appear. He had not come up with his answer, so he was heading into it without a plan.

Another crack sounded, and the boggart morphed into a dementor to Harry's surprise. Acting on instinct, Harry forgot the Riddikulus charm and shouted, _'Expecto Patronum!'_

A silvery wolf emerged from Harry's wand, ran forward, and jumped at the boggart, forcing the creature back. After a second of realization, Harry canceled the spell. Before using his instincts in another way.

'_Riddikulus!' _Harry shouted. The dementor morphed into a plastic Halloween skeleton.

"Here!" shouted Professor Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward. _Crack_!

A silvery-white orb hung in the air in front of the professor, who hurriedly said, _'Riddikulus.'_

Another _crack _was heard around the room. The damage was done, however, for the Orderians had recognized what the object was unlike their classmates.

"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" said Lupin as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. There was another _crack_. Bellatrix had returned.

"_Riddikulus!_" Neville shouted, and they had a split second's view of Bellatrix in her lacy dress before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the Boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.

"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone… Let me see… five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart, ten for Neville because he did it twice… and five each to Hermione and Harry."

"Why five to each of us professor? We did just what the others did." Hermione asked. Over the years, she had grown more humble and less obsessive.

"You and Harry answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Hermione," Lupin said lightly. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts, and summarize it for me… to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."

Besides Defense Against the Dark Arts, the Orderians found that Care of Magical Creatures was very interesting as well. Hagrid had an even more practical approach than Lupin did. In the half giant's class, books were only used outside and in front of the creature they were studying at the time. One of Harry's favorite lessons was when Hagrid had introduced a hippogriff named Buckbeak to the class. He had even gotten a chance to fly on the creature's back because he was the first one to step forward to volunteer to bow before the beast. After Buckbeak had welcomed Harry, Hagrid had surprised Harry and lifted him up and onto the winged creature. It had taken all of Harry's will not to drop the half giant.

Another thing that pleased everyone was that this year the Orderians could venture out into Hogsmeade. This allowed the Orderians the option to secretly acquire new items.

Despite the fact that many things at Hogwarts were going right for the Orderians at Hogwarts, they were still hitting some obstacles. While this year they continued to gain Slytherin support, it seemed as if there were no real potentials in any house or allies in the other ones. Besides recruitment, every person in the school was becoming more nervous because reports stated that Sirius Black was growing closer to the school. Hannah had managed to appease the centaurs of their fears and had convinced them to watch out for the escaped convict.

Many of the other students' elective was divination, and the Orderians hated it worse than any other of their classes. Almost every single time the professor gave a prediction, it was either about a death or a horrific injury.

The situation with Black, though, led to a point on October thirty-first.

After the feast that evening had ended, all of the students had proceeded back to their common rooms or in Harry and Daphne's case, their marriage suite. A few minutes after Harry and Daphne had fallen asleep, they were awoken by a call on their gauntlets.

"_Harry, Daphne, something big just happened that I think you guys need to know." _Neville said over the communicator.

"_What happened?" _Daphne asked.

"_Sirius Black is here at Hogwarts. He just tried getting into the Gryffindor Common Room, but the Fat Lady didn't allow him passage. He was so angry with that that he tore her portrait trying to get in. She was able to escape, but she told me that he kept on screaming about a rat that needed to die. A teacher is probably on his/her way to guide you two down to the Great Hall, so be prepared. Teachers are already on their way to empty out the other common rooms. We're on our way down to the Great Hall as well. I don't think that we will be able to go after Black tonight." _Neville replied.

Harry nodded, containing his anger before saying, _"All right. We'll see you in a few minutes. First chance we get, though, we're going hunting."_

"_Will do."_ Neville then ended the two communiqués.

Harry and Daphne then jumped out of bed before Daphne headed into the bathroom to change into pajamas and Harry awoke Rex, who would sleep in Harry's skin as a tattoo. Thirty seconds later, Daphne came out. They did not need to put on their jewelry for they slept with their rings on their fingers and their necklaces around their necks.

A minute later there was a knock at the door.

Harry waited a few seconds before groggily shouting back in reply, "Coming! Just give me a second!"

Harry and Daphne then went over to the door and opened it to reveal Professor Lupin at the door.

"Professor? What are you doing here at this time of night?" Daphne asked.

"There was a break-in a few minutes ago. Sirius Black is or was in the castle. I'll need you two to follow me into the Great Hall, so you won't be hurt or killed." The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher replied.

"Okay. Can you just let us collect our familiars?" Harry asked.

"Of course, but if you don't mind, could I come in with you? I would rather not be standing out here with Black on the loose." Lupin seemed to be sad about something, but the two Orderians did not implore about it.

Daphne opened the door wider for Lupin before she and Harry followed the man into their living room.

"You have a rather nice place here. Much more organized than my suite." Lupin commented.

"It is rather nice, but we hardly use it since we are almost always busy with classes or spending time with friends." Daphne replied.

Meanwhile, Harry had moved over towards Zeus.

The king cobra woke easily at Harry's presence.

"I'm afraid, Zeus, that we will be sleeping in the Great Hall tonight. My mind has all the details if you have any questions." Harry said.

Zeus nodded before coiling up Harry's leg and molding into his skin as a tattoo. Umbra came running in from the other room and jumped into Harry's back, becoming a tattoo as well.

"Amazing. I've never seen familiars be able to mold right into a person's skin." Lupin said wondrously.

"Probably because no one has ever tried." Harry replied as the three began walking to the door.

"When do you think that we may return to our suite, professor?" Daphne asked politely.

"I would think in the morning at least. Even if we clear the castle or find Black tonight, we won't want to wake you." The professor answered.

"Ah." Harry said.

The three then remained silent as they proceeded down to the Great Hall. Before entering, however, Daphne and Harry exchanged good byes with the professor. The two then looked around and quickly found their friends in on one section of floor, still awake.

"Why are you guys not asleep? You know that you don't need permission, right?" Harry joked.

"We know…" Fred said.

"But we don't trust you not to prank us." George finished.

Harry shrugged. "Fair enough."

The couple then lied down and quickly fell asleep with the other twenty-one. During the past two summers, they had performed overnight training exercises together where they had far worse sleeping conditions.

The next morning, the teachers had woken the students telling them that all was well and that they may proceed back to their rooms to dress and get ready for classes later in the day.

During classes, though, Harry was only paying as much attention as usual because the cogs in his head were putting themselves into the right places so that they may turn perfectly to form a plan to capture the escaped convict. Finally after the Orderians' last class, Harry had finalized his plan. The Assassins quickly met in the Control Room in their underground base, after they received a summons from Harry. All of them were already dressed in their robes.

"Okay, everyone. I know that you probably expected this meeting so you won't be surprised when I tell you we're going after Black." Harry waited a moment to see everyone nod his or head. "Everyone will split into their newly established teams. Hannah, Neville, you two will lead your forces through the Dark Forest. See if the centaurs will help. Draco, have your forces search around the front gate. Daphne, search the castle, including the bridges and courtyards. Black may still be hiding around the castle; who knows with the quality of teachers we have here. My team, we'll search around the perimeter of castle. If no one finds anything by two in the morning, we'll head back to bed and try searching Hogsmeade tomorrow. Remember to watch out for dementors and to report anything strange. Also, remember to capture Black, don't kill him. Although I hate it, the Elders have a point that Black may hold some useful information."

Everyone nodded his or her head.

"Let's move out then." Harry said before everyone proceeded out of the Control Room.

Harry led Seamus, Blaise and Anthony, Daphne led Tracey, Michael and Ernie, Draco led Crabbe, Goyle, Padma and Hermione, Neville led Dean, Pansy, Fred and Justin, and Hannah led George, Susan, Terry and Theodore out of the Chamber of Secrets and to their predesignated destinations.

A few weeks before, the Orderians had met in the Room of Requirement to solve the question of their ranks. Each member, excluding Harry, had been put through a rigorous course where his or her leadership skills, strength, intelligence, agility, endurance, compassion, and common sense were tested. Daphne proved herself to be Harry's second-in-command. Her one weakness was that she would occasionally be too compassionate. Draco, who was now behind Daphne in rank, could sometimes go crazy in a fight, killing everything in sight that wasn't on his side. Neville, fourth in command, had trouble not being too serious and not only caring about the mission while Hannah, fifth in command, had the problem of being the least adaptable of the five. Harry's biggest weakness, meanwhile, was his greatest strength as well. Harry's plans almost always were to some degree insane. The Elders so far had not allowed Harry the opportunity to use any of them.

"Okay, everyone, what we're going to do is slowly travel along each part of the perimeter. Stick to the shadows and call the rest of the team if you spot Black. I have faith that you could easily take him down, but we're better safe than sorry." Harry said as they arrived outside the entrance courtyard. The others nodded and spread out around the perimeter so that they were equally apart. Slowly, the four started walking around the castle in a counterclockwise circle.

After three hours, Harry thought he saw something. It had been an hour after most lights in the castle had been put out.

As Harry drifted through the shadows along the wall outside of the Great Hall, he spotted a dark black dog coming out of the Dark Forest and heading towards the side of the Great Hall to his right. Harry quickly followed along the wall, breaking his counter-clockwise movement around the castle. As Harry rounded the corner, he saw that the dog had stopped at the wall and was sitting.

"_Attention, Red Group! There is a dog on the northern side of the Great Hall. It is just sitting there, so I don't know what it is up to. I am breaking the pattern and waiting for further action. Adjust your pattern to accommodate my absence, and I'll notify you if I need assistance." _Harry said over his gauntlet. He then deactivated the communicator function and continued to carefully watch the interesting animal.

After a minute, Harry found out why the dog was sitting. A house-elf appeared in front of the dog and dropped off a fairly large, roasted ham.

"_Any updates?" _Seamus called.

"_Affirmative. The dog was-" _Harry stopped short in surprise.

"_Red One, are you there?" _Seamus asked, concerned.

"_The dog is Black." _Harry replied.

"_What does the dog's description have to do with you stopping short?" _Seamus asked, confused.

"_No. The dog is _Sirius_ Black." _Harry replied.

"_He must be an unregistered animagus. There isn't anything about him being able to change into a dog in his file." _Blaise commented.

"_That would be my guess as well. I'm going to wait for him to head back to wherever he is hiding. He will have the home-field advantage, but we need to know if anyone is helping him. Besides, if nobody has found him, then we'll have a secure area to question him." _Harry responded.

"_Do you want us to pursue as well?" _Anthony asked.

"_Yeah. Notify the others of what we know and what I am about to order you to do. Start making your way to Black's location, but stay as a shadow, though. It is imperative that we do not lose Black." _Harry replied before shutting off the communication function.

Harry did not have to wait long for the escaped convict to start moving for a few minutes later, he changed back into a dog and turned back towards the forest. Harry turned into a wolf before pursuing after his parents' killer.

Last year, Harry had mastered this animagus form and was currently working on his dragon form although he could not study Rex as well as he had Deus and Umbra. Apparently, his animagus forms were almost mirror images of the three. Unbeknownst to Harry, this fact was caused by the familiar bond shared among Harry, Umbra, Zeus and Rex and Harry's ancestral blood running through his veins. If it had not been for Harry discovering his familiars and accepting his inheritance, these forms would have been lost to Harry for all time.

Harry followed the dog through the forest until it exited the tree line and started proceeding along the edge of the forest. After a few minutes, the two arrived in the village of Hogsmeade. As they dog ventured further, Harry was stopped. A line of dementors had started to cross in between the two. Harry quickly ran back into the Dark Forest. He knew that even he had his limits. Even though he knew that he could defeat the dementors, Harry also knew that he would likely lose Black's trail forever. The killer would likely change his routine as not to be caught. After Harry could no longer see the dementors, he changed back into his human form and turned his communicator back on.

"_Attention, everyone." _Harry sighed. _"I was unable to track Black to his hideout. A line of dementors got in my way, and I didn't want to risk giving the trail up for good. All I know is that he was in Hogsmeade. He might not live in it, but it is part of his path to his hideout."_

"_Understood. Head back to base?" _Draco asked.

Harry sighed again. _"Unfortunately, yes. I will see you guys tomorrow. I'm heading straight to bed. We'll try to intercept Black again in a few days. He might be suspicious for a little while. I don't think he saw me, but you never know."_

"_See you tomorrow." _Seamus said.

Harry turned off his communicator and apparated back to his room. A few minutes later, he and Daphne were both asleep in their bed. Being Lord Hogwarts and his fiancé had its perks despite them not being able to yet share it.

It would be March before the Orderians would finally be able to track Sirius Black again.

The Orderians had been searching for Black for a week when Harry had finally spotted Black back at the Great Hall.

"_Black is back where I first spotted him in November. Get ready to follow. We can't lose him again." _Harry called before transforming into a wolf and readying himself for stealthy tracking.

As before, a house-elf appeared and dropped off a ham, and Black turned back into a human to eat it. The Orderians would have interrogated the elf but they did not want to let anyone else onto their trail. Harry waited a few seconds after Black started running off before pursuing the dog. As before they traveled through the Dark Forest and to Hogsmeade. This time, however, there was an absence of dementors. The two animagi were shadows drifting through the night. Finally after a few minutes, the two arrived at the far end of the town. While Harry followed Black around the building, Harry began to change back. After the dog crawled through a small space in the wall, Harry knew that this was Black's hideout.

"_Black is hiding in the Shrieking Shack. He just crawled through a break in the outside wall. I'll wait for a team's worth of people for backup." _Harry said into his gauntlet before grabbing one of his wands with his right hand and a Beretta with his left. Less than ten seconds later, his team arrived. They each had a wand in one hand and various models of pistols in the other.

"_Red team is moving in. Come in through the hole in the wall when you arrive." _Harry said before ceasing the communicator function and finally venturing into his parents' killer's lair. The four crawled in one by one, waiting for the last person, Anthony, to come through. They moved as one or not at all when a team. The four then listened carefully for the slightest noise. A faint grumbling could be heard above and to the right of them. The four nodded to each other before locating the staircase and traveling up a floor. The grumbling was now more pronounced but was down a different hall. Before red team could start moving towards there, however, Daphne's team came up behind them. The couple exchanged a look and nodded. The now group of eight went into the next hall and steadily made their way towards the door that muffled the grumbling. Each team stood to one side of the door, red to the left and green to the right.

A nod between the two leaders caused the door to explode into the room with the Orderians close behind. Black tried charging Harry in his dog form, but Harry quickly tossed his weapons to the side and transformed into a wolf. The two were in the air biting at each other before the wand and pistol hit the ground.

Black wasn't able to grab a serious hold or even inflict any damage. Even if he were not malnourished, the dog would have been no match for the younger, bigger, stronger wolf. Because of this advantage, when the two animals roughly landed on the ground, Harry had his mouth wrapped around the convict's neck. The hold was secure but didn't break any part of the dog's skin although Black would say that it was too tight if given the chance.

The Orderians quickly surrounded the two and summoned a cage with apparation and animagi wards. As soon as it was completed, Harry jumped back off of the then dog, so he wouldn't taste a man's neck. After they were both human, Harry shadow traveled out of the cage to stand in front of the other seven. Black tried to apparate, thinking that Harry had just escaped that way, but was stopped by the wards.

"Who are you? You can't be ministry. I've avoided enough of those fools to know what they look like." Black asked as he ran up to the bars.

Harry summoned his weapons back into his wands before restoring them to their hiding places. His fiancé and friends did as well.

"Shut up. We'll begin conversing when our other friends arrive." Harry said in his cold voice. It was calm and void of any emotion, but it could chill many of even the worst of criminals.

"I don't think so, sir." A man said as he stepped into the room. The Orderians didn't need their excellent senses to know that he had his wand raised. After another second, they recognized who it was.

"Fire that wand, and it will only make this worse for you." Blaise threatened.

"Step away from Sirius Black and move over to that side of the room. You might outnumber me, but I am the only one with a wand raised." Lupin replied. As he spoke his instructions, he motioned towards the right side of the room.

"You're not the only one." Draco said behind the professor. He and his team had all of their wands raised.

"Took you long enough." Seamus smiled.

"Where are the other two teams?" Harry asked curiously as the eight Assassins stepped forward.

"They secured the perimeter. They figured that it would be better to let us know if someone was coming. Lupin arrived right in front of us." Draco replied.

"For all it's worth, we still would've won." Michael grinned beneath his hood as he took the man's wand and tied his hands together. A look from Harry and Draco halted Michael's bragging grin.

"So what do you want from us?" Lupin asked calmly after he was inside the cage.

"You're just going to give in, Moony… after all we've done to avoid the Ministry?" Black asked.

"We're obviously beaten. These men obviously know what they're doing. We've lost." Lupin replied sadly before turning to the Assassins. "What do you want from us?"

"Why are you helping Black?" Daphne asked.

"He's innocent." The man replied simply. Harry laughed coldly.

"How is he innocent? Look at him! He's a fucking madman! Of course he did it! Who else fucking could?"

Beneath his cowl, Harry's eyes widened in realization of what he just did. He let his emotions get the better of him.

"Why do you care so much about this?" Lupin asked curiously. Black was also eyeing the cloaked man known to the Order as Harry strangely.

Harry turned around and thought for a second. "We might as well let them know who we are since the situation is already compromised, right?"

"_We were going to have to face it some time, but know that all of us are here for you, especially me." _Daphne said through their bond.

"All right everyone, turn." Harry said. After his friends obeyed, Harry pushed his hood back onto his shoulders to reveal his black hair. Daphne and their friends copied his actions. Then as one, the thirteen turned back towards the two entrapped men.

"Harry?" Lupin asked as his eyes widened in shock.

"Is it really that surprising, professor?" Harry asked. "All of us easily master every challenge you throw at us in defense. Your class, though, is probably tied for being the best for our year despite it still being educationally lacking."

"Moony's classes don't reach a good standard? Oh, that is rich!" Black howled.

"Every Hogwarts class has been since Dumbledore took up being headmaster." Daphne stated.

"Oh, you had to ruin my fun!" Black sulked.

"Do not even think about talking to her that way, shithead. You lost that right twelve years ago." Harry gritted his teeth in anger. His face currently looked much like his wolf form did when it was provoked.

"You don't understand, Harry, I didn't kill Lily and James." Black pleaded.

"Why should I believe you?" Harry retorted.

"I'm your godfather that's why. Why would I do that to my own godson, brother in all but blood, and his wife/your mother?" Black cried out.

"I think Harry needs more than just words, Mr. Black. You have to realize that he went through some things worse than the deepest parts of hell. Do you have evidence?" Daphne asked. She was holding Harry's left arm.

Black looked down with a sad but angry look in his eyes.

"You have to tell them, Sirius. It is the only way out of this." Lupin stared at the escaped convict empathetically. "You did it once. You can do it again."

"Fine." Black sighed before turning back towards his godson. "Dumbledore managed to somehow convince Lily and James to move out of their ancestral home. As the heirs to the Potter line, they could have lived there with your grandparents if it wasn't for Dumbledore's convincing. Well, I had been the keeper of the fidelius charm on their home, but I was concerned that I was too obvious of a choice. Trying to save you three, I had them change the keeper to be Pettigrew." The man then began to break down. "I trusted him!"

"We all did, Sirius. It wasn't your fault that Pettigrew became a death-eater and betrayed all of us. You couldn't have known." Lupin assured.

"Wait. Are you saying Peter Pettigrew, the shyest boy at Hogwarts during his time, betrayed my parents?" Harry asked in shock.

"He is also betrayed Moony here, you especially, and me." Black added.

"What proof do you have?" Draco asked calculatingly.

"I'd recognize that kind of hair anywhere! What are you doing with my godson, Malfoy?" Black asked angrily.

"Being a good friend like he has since the beginning of first year. I would refrain from calling him anything like that again." Harry threatened.

Lupin nodded. "I apologize for him, Harry. You said you wanted proof?" The man turned to Draco.

"Yes. Otherwise, it is just your word against the world's, and although we do not like the way is working nowadays, it has proven to be right on a few occasions."

"Fair enough. We don't have any material proof except for what we saw. If you could find Pettigrew, then you could interrogate him and find out that we're speaking the truth." Lupin admitted.

"I take it then that he is actually alive?" Harry asked.

"Alive and bloody well despite my attempts to make it otherwise. Twelve years ago I tried catching him, but he turned himself into a rat after killing a group of muggles and cutting off one of his own fingers." Black explained.

"Where is he now?" Harry asked.

"He is currently a boy's pet rat named Scabbers if I remember right." Black replied.

The Gryffindor boys' eyes widened in surprise.

"That'll make it less regrettable for stealing." Harry grinned.

"Why?" Draco asked curiously.

"Ronald currently has 'Scabbers' in our dormitory. It'll be easy to snatch him away. I doubt that either will make much of a fuss at this time of night after we stupefy the rat." Seamus grinned as well.

"I'll take care of it." Harry said as he pulled his hood back over his face. "I'll see you in a bit." With that said, Harry dematerialized into the shadows. Quickly, Harry traveled out and away from the building and towards Hogwarts. A minute later, he slowly materialized from the shadow of the wall besides Ronald's bed.

A quick stunning spell disabled the supposed animagus, and Harry was free to put him in one of his pockets and venture back out into the shadows.

"I have him." Harry withdrew the rat from the pocket and set him down on an empty space on the floor. Daphne summoned a cage with the same wards as the two men did. As with Black, the rat transformed back into his human form. A very short man who looked like he had once been very plump appeared inside the cage. He was still stupefied.

"See, Harry? We were telling the truth. Why else would he be hiding as a rat after twelve years if he was innocent?" Lupin asked.

Harry nodded. "You're right, but I'm afraid I can't let you out of the cage right now."

"Why not?" Black shrieked.

"Because there are two things that need to be settled, and you will probably react badly." Harry replied calmly. He then turned towards the other cage and rejuvenated the other man.

"What? What? Where am I? Who are-" Pettigrew shrieked. His eyes widened as he spotted the men in the other cage and the teenagers all around him. "Sirius! Remus! How good it is to see you!"

"Oh shove it up your ass, traitor. We all know what you did twelve years ago. We just want to hear you admit it." Harry paused. "Show us the underside of both of your forearms."

"No! You don't understand! The dark lord did terrible things to me! You would have done the same!"

"No, I would never betray James and Lily! Let alone take the dark mark! I'd rather die!" Black shouted.

"What you failed to understand is that if he didn't kill you, we would, Peter!" Lupin yelled.

"Show us your left arm or else I will have to come in there and do it for you." Harry threatened in a quiet voice.

"Harry, no! Don't! He'll kill you!" Black shouted.

"I would rather be afraid of what I'm going to do to him." Harry said before appearing inside the cage.

"How…?" Pettigrew began to ask before Harry's right fist connected with the side of Peter's jaw. Harry then quickly followed up by bouncing his left hand off of the man's neck.

"Be happy knowing that that could have gone a lot worse for you, but we need you." Harry said as he stooped down. He first rolled up Pettigrew's left sleeve. Branded on the underside of the forearm was the serpent coming out of a skull. Harry then opened and walked out of the cage. "He's a death-eater."

"Finally! Can you let us out now?" Black asked.

"Not yet. You need to be in there for your own protection." Harry sighed.

"Why?" Lupin asked warily.

"You'll see." Harry then activated his gauntlet. _"Robes, we need your assistance in the Shrieking Shack. I'm turning on my homing beacon so you know where we are inside."_ Before Severus could answer, Harry ended the communiqué.

"Robes?" Black asked.

"He's one of our contacts here at Hogwarts." Daphne replied.

"That begs the question, who exactly are you children? I don't believe you can buy robes like those anywhere, and the way you act is definitely different from how you act at Hogwarts." Lupin asked.

"We'll explain after our contact arrives." Harry replied.

A few seconds after Harry finished speaking, Severus appeared in his Assassin robes.

After turning around, Severus stood still, staring at the three men in anger. This was undetectable by the men because of the hood.

"What is it with you guys and mystery? Just tell us who you are for Merlin's sake." Black demanded.

"So if it isn't three of the trio that haunted me in my nightmares. It is so just to see you three behind bars at last." Severus smirked.

"Dad, stop and think for a second. We need to focus on accomplishing this objective. We'll deal with your old rivalry with them after." Harry assuaged. Severus nodded. "You're right."

"What do you mean by dad? He definitely isn't James." Lupin asked.

"We'll explain in a moment after you get over your shock." Daphne replied.

The two men raised an eyebrow. Severus then pulled back his hood so it rested on his back. "Holy shit!" they both shouted.

After a few moments, Severus unlocked the cage, and the Orderians began to explain to the two men who the Order was, Harry's past, what had happened at Hogwarts so far, the alignment of their families, and their views on magic. Everyone had tears in their eyes when Harry described his home life before eight.

"Wow. That is a lot to take in." Lupin said when they finished.

"We know, but we need to know if you are with us or if you are against us." Harry replied.

Sirius kneeled down so that he was eye level with Harry. "I'm never abandoning my godson ever again. Even if you are with Severus, I'm here for you as well."

"I wouldn't worry about Harry being too attached to me versus you or Lupin, Black. This summer, he is marrying Miss Daphne Greengrass who stands before you.

"My godson is getting married before his fourth year?! I see that he didn't need me to still know how to woo the ladies." Sirius smirked at the end. Severus just shook his head and scoffed.

"Okay. We'll arrange for you to be moved over to the main Grey fortress. There, you will take up some oaths that will ensure that you don't betray us. It's standard procedure." Severus said before turning towards the other children. "Meanwhile, I want you guys to help us get-" Pettigrew was not in his cage. It had been left open when Harry had exited.

"I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake!" Harry shouted.

"Don't worry about it. It happens to all of us at some time." Severus reassured.

Harry sighed and nodded. "What now?"

"I would suggest leading everyone back to the castle and heading to bed. It's already pretty late, and it is a school night." Severus replied.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dad." Harry said before hugging Severus. "Bye, Sirius." Another hug went to the animagus. "I will see you in class, professor." His last hug went to Lupin.

"You can call me Remus in private if you like." Lupin smiled. Harry nodded before all of the younger Assassins raised their hoods and shadow traveled out of the building and joined up with the other two teams.

"Time to go." Draco said before all twenty-three disappeared in the shadows.

The next day, everything appeared to return to normal despite the fact that Ronald continued to bitch and moan all day. He continued to accuse Harry and his friends, so Harry decided that it was time to give Gryffindor another advantage for the house cup this year.

For the past three years, most of the Orderians had engaged themselves in a prank war at Hogwarts where they pranked another house and blame it on a completely different or the same house. This made at least one house to lose several points. So far, Harry had not been caught and Gryffindor was leading for three years now. Never before, though, had the Orderians pranked someone within their own house. Harry figured that it was about time that that ritual was broken.

Ronald woke up at his usual time of being late. Unfortunately, his first class was Transfiguration so he was really fucked. He rushed to get to class, but as he headed down the stairs outside of his dormitory, he ran straight into a line of plastic wrap that stretched from one wall to the opposite. Ronald was clothes lined and tumbled down the stairs ending up in a heap of bruises, parchment, ink, books, body, and plastic. After he collected himself and was on his way out the door, Ronald slipped on the floor, causing him to fall flat on his back with his stuff all around him. Apparently, someone had applied a slippery charm on the carpet in front of the doorway. After collecting his things again, Ronald left and warily started running down the stairs. At the bottom set of stairs, a panel of magic covered every step at an angle causing Ronald to rapidly slide down onto the ground. Ronald collected his things a third time before setting off to Transfiguration. The door, though, was locked. As Ronald was about to knock on the door, he was lifted into the air upside down and blinded with a chemical fog of disgusting smells. He was then dropped to the ground, putting his things in shambles once more. Ronald tried again to knock but was stopped by a force pulling down his pants and literally kicking his ass so that he hit the door with his face. Before Ronald could drop to the floor, however, the door was opened, and he committed a face plant onto the stone floor.

"I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to go back to your real class, sir. I currently am not teaching any-. Mr. Weasley! What do you think you are doing wearing robes such as those? Twenty-five points from Gryffindor for your mocking behavior!" McGonagall scolded.

"What do you mean 'mocking behavior'? I haven't done anything wrong but be late to class today!" Ronald defended.

"Then what would you call wearing Slytherin robes when you are obviously and most regrettably, a Gryffindor?" McGonagall continued.

"What?" Ronald looked down at his clothes to find McGonagall's words to be true. Every Gryffindor symbol or color on his robes had been replaced with snakes, silver, and green.

It was later found that Slytherin had committed the act of punishment in response to his critical attitude towards them. Slytherin would lose fifty points, and Gryffindor would regain its twenty-five and then ten extra points to compensate for McGonagall's quick judgment of Ronald.

In reality, however, neither at least fully committed the prank.

Harry had set up the plastic wrap and the spell in the common room as well as the sliding staircase, but Sirius had been the one to suspend Ronald in the air and pants the boy while remaining unseen thanks to him disillusioned.

This would be one of two of Harry's greatest pranks at the end of the year.

A week after the Order had learned the truth, Black appeared as a different man in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lupin had introduced him as Mr. Merrythought, a descendant of the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry, though, had set up a surprise for Sirius.

"So I would like you all to welcome Mr. Merrythought now as he will be assisting me over the course of the remainder of the year. Please note that he is classified as a teacher and has all the abilities I do to punish you, so please behave." Lupin said. "Please come in, professor."

Instead of a man as everyone, including Lupin, was expecting, a tall woman with dark skin entered the room from the office. The entire class and Lupin stood, shell-shocked.

"What is the matter with you? Have you never seen a man before?" Sirius asked unintentionally in a girly voice. "Wait. Why does my voice sound like this?"

"I am sorry, professor. I believe one of the students has transfigured you into a woman. Let me see if I can counteract it." Lupin waved his wand in many directions but looked defeated by the end of the movements. "I am afraid that we are going to have to call McGonagall to sort this mess out. I was never the best at Transfiguration."

Nobody discovered who transfigured the teacher, and at the end-of-term feast Sirius was whom he was supposed to be disguised as. At the feast, Gryffindor again won the cup but a general announcement was made to any and all pranksters that were in Hogwarts.

"Now before we dig into this magnificent selection of food, I must warn anyone who wishes to commit any kind of prank that next year it will not be permitted. Anyone who defies this rule will have two weeks of detention. Now please, enjoy." Dumbledore spread his arms wide as the food began to appear on the five tables.

"Pretty boring year, huh?" Harry grinned.

"At least this one we didn't have to put up with Lockhart." Neville replied.

"He was a right pain in the ass for sure." Seamus agreed. "You think Draco was happy that he no longer had to sneak out to sleep with his bonded?"

Everyone but Harry, Daphne, and Hermione laughed. Daphne because they were messing with her sister and had no clue of the requirements it took to be bonded and Harry and Hermione because they decided that they would rather not be hit.

"Sorry." Neville, Seamus, and Dean grumbled as they held their arms.

"You think that they would have learned." Harry shook his head.

"Why? Draco still hasn't either." Daphne replied. While Draco had gotten better at not pissing her off thanks to his soul bond with Astoria, he still slipped up on occasion and made Daphne punch him hard.

A few days later, the twenty-four were on their way back to London on the Hogwarts Train. The dementors had been recalled because of a recent sighting over in France. The Order could be generous with its members and their families.

"Shit this year was boring as hell. I mean we only had a few adventures." Justin complained. "You think it will start getting better next-" Daphne had punched him for cursing in front of her little sister. The other boys snickered at his dilemma. "Sorry."

"Yeah, I think it will get better next year since Daph and I are getting married in August." Harry smiled. He received a matching one.

"Then you guys will actually deserve to call your suite a marriage suite. I mean you have been posers in that regard for almost three years." Neville grinned.

"Whatever. I don't think I need to bring up what we discussed first year." Harry retorted calmly. Each of his friends raised an eyebrow. "I managed to get a girlfriend before any of you did." Harry smirked as he saw the boy Orderians' reactions.

"Prat." Ernie called.

"If I'm a prat, then I'm not sure what to call you without having Daph get pissed at me." Harry's smirk grew wider.

"Everyone shut up, so we can play some cards! I mean damn!" Seamus shouted.

"OW! Damn is not a cur-... ... ...Sorry."

**AN: Sorry for the delay on this but I am just starting to be able to free up my schedule… again. Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to you if you have any questions or else I will speak to you readers next time I post a chapter. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring. I needed to cover some bases before I could move on to a surprise I've had stored for a while. Next chapter will be more intense and action packed to say the least. As always I deeply appreciate any reviews or comments you have whether they be positive or negative. Although it does bring me down a little, comments saying that something needs to be fixed or overall negative reviews can sometimes help me make this story better for all of you. **_**Occidere Prima Vel Occidi.**_


	19. The Summer of 1994

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's **_**Harry Potter**_** series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Communication Through the Mind or Communicator or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

**_The Grey Assassins_**

**Chapter 19**

A large number of people entered Diagon Alley from several shops that lined the street. No one could see their faces, for gray or black hoods covered them. The people easily and inconspicuously merged with the rest of the crowd, but all of them headed in one direction with a great amount of purpose. As they came up to their destination, goblin guards nodded their heads ever so slightly in recognition of their allies.

"I am sorry, sir, but all of your group must remove your hoods. We know who you are, but we must hold up our procedures or else others might get the same idea." A goblin met all of them as they entered the bank.

"Fair enough, sir. I would not wish to insult your traditions." Harry grinned as he lowered his midnight black hood. Behind him his friends, fiancé, family, and the Greengrasses did the same.

The goblin grinned and began to lead them away from the main hall that they were in. "Merlin forbid you lose the great Goblin Nations and their warriors, huh?"

"They will make it easier for what will come." Daphne smiled. The group then proceeded down silently until they reached a door labeled: **Potter Account Manager**.

"I will leave you all with Griphook's fine hands." The goblin said before departing with all of Harry's friends including Astoria. Harry opened the door and let his fiancé, his soon-to-be in laws, and three men in first before proceeding in himself.

"Hello, Griphook. How have you been these past few years?" Harry asked as he sat down.

"Fine, Harry. I see the years have helped you along as well." Griphook replied. Since the end of the school year, Harry had kept his normally untamable mess called hair short but spiked up. To add to a more mature look besides actual aging, Harry wore robes that billowed behind him but were tighter where his body connected with the manufactured material of his clothes.

"When should the Potter Account Manager arrive?" Harry asked.

"He already has." Griphook replied with a grin.

"I remember from before the beginning of the last school year that Slasher filled the position. How did you come into the role?" Harry asked curiously.

"I was promoted after we recently discovered that Slasher was the one who allowed Dumbledore to steal so much from you and gain your guardianship. He worked with the fool to gain some of your fortune as well. We had him imprisoned here until you returned to Gringotts. After we finish all other matters of business, we will take you to him for your judgment. It is imperative that the thief be punished by the one who was wronged; in this case, that is you." Griphook replied.

Harry nodded, and Daphne unnoticeably intertwined her hand in his. "Then let us get this over with."

"Of course, Harry." Griphook paused while pulling out the rolled packet of parchment.

He read:

To whom it may concern, this is the last will and testament of James Potter and Lily Potter née Evans. We, in a healthy state of mind, hereby leave four thousand galleons to Remus Lupin (Get yourself some nice clothes and a nice home, Mooney. You need them), one thousand galleons to Sirius Black (honestly Padfoot, you don't need that much more money), one and a half thousand galleons to Peter Pettigrew, and two thousand galleons to Severus Snape (Sorry for everything we put you through).

"Is that it?" Harry asked, not letting his concern show.

"Of course not." Griphook smiled. "I just wanted to rouse a reaction from you."

"Prat." Harry grumbled quietly.

Griphook then cleared his throat before continuing:

Finally, to our son Harry, we leave the rest of our fortune, properties, and my (James) titles. To all marauders and their families, we leave an open door to any of our homes. This excludes any who betray the others or betrayed us in a horrific way that led to our death. If any of the people mentioned do betray any of the other people in this misfit family, anything given to them by us is forfeit to our son, Harry. If the betrayer kills Harry before he can create a will of his own, then these objects should be divvied up amongst the marauders, Severus Snape, and their families. More specifically to Severus Snape, I, Prongs, name you an honorary marauder. I hope this is another way for me (James) to make up for any past conflicts. To become a full-fledged marauder, however, you must prove your worth in practical jokes. Have fun! …I disregard my previous statement (not really, but don't tell Lily!), as it was an immature declaration. Finally, we enlist in descending order Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Anton and Iris Greengrass, Andromeda and Ted Tonks, and Frank and Augusta Longbottom as our son's legal guardians. If any betrayal occurs, the traitor loses their guardianship. If the list in this will proves insufficient, consult guardianship papers under the name Harry James Potter. In no way, shape, or form is our son, allowed to go to Petunia Dursley and her family. Finally, we depart with a few wise words left to Harry (yes, I actually am about to have something written that is smart and came from my brain… and Lily's). Son, not everything is as true as you may think it is. The teachings you receive are the same. Don't look at magic in just one way, and try to find middle ground. The secret marauder will be able to help you. Also, know that we love you dearly and that we hate that we had to have this written because it means that you will not know us and we will not know you.

Sincerely Yours,

Lord and Lady James and Lily Potter

"Wow. That was rough." Daphne's hand hugged Harry's tighter.

"Surprising as all hell as well." Severus commented.

"Not to mention educational. This reveals a lot." Remus added.

"You can't be serious." Severus replied.

"Yeah, he can't because I am." Sirius looked around for even a chuckle but the most he received was a painful grimace at the wrongly accused felon's joke. "Really? Nothing? Huh."

"Severus is right, though. The most valuable information we received is confirmation of everything else." Iris continued on.

"Yes, but it also reveals that the filthy rat loses almost everything. He had the potential to do a lot more damage, but I believe that this will soften the blow at least." Remus replied.

"Is there any other family business we need to take care of here, Griphook?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Your parents explicitly expressed for you to travel to the main Potter vault immediately after hearing their will reading. They also wished for the Potter Account Manager to read you the will as well as take you and the will to the vault. Would you like to proceed over now?" The goblin asked.

Harry nodded. "Daphne and I will proceed over there." He then paused and turned towards the adults. "I think you guys should join the others. I don't believe we should be that long."

"All right. We'll see you soon, son." Severus nodded as everyone rouse form his/her seats and headed out the door.

"Bye, pup." Sirius ruffled Harry's hair as he exited while Remus gave Harry a wink.

Since Remus and Sirius had rejoined Harry as prominent figures in his life, it was as if Harry had three fathers now. There were occasionally problems caused by their old rivalry, but the three of them managed to work them out for Harry's sake. Despite these problems, it seemed that the marauders were reforming.

The five adults proceeded down the hall the others had taken while Griphook led Harry and Daphne through the maze of corridors until they reached one of the many carts. They then hurtled down into the vast system of tunnels and railroad tracks. After a minute, the jarring ride came to abrupt halt in front of a magnificent pair of golden doors adorned with the potter crest. The set of doors and the wall that they hinged on were recessed ten meters (about eleven yards) from the cavern wall that was the side of the tunnel. A pair of griffins faced towards the opposite wall that they were placed so that anyone who wished to approach the vault were under the watchful eyes of two stone griffins.

As the trio walked between the two, they had a feeling more than knew that the griffins were not just for decoration. After arriving at the pair of doors, Harry took his right hand and pressed it against at the thin line that distinguished the two doors. He aimed his perfectly as his Potter ring lined up with the small crease and was in the middle of the Potter crest. A few moments after ring had touched the slightly warm but hard stone, the doors receded back into the sides of the small cave the three beings were in. Inside the massive vault, a vast expanse of galleons gleaming their golden color stretched out so far that most would not see the end, but the field was broken by smooth paths that lead to many other treasures that could be worth more than gold to some.

Harry had visited his main Potter account occasionally over the past few summers to examine the great texts, weapons, and armors hidden inside, but this time something felt different as he entered. His curiosity over this was quickly quelled but was replaced with a new oddity when red glowing arrows distinguished a path on the stone floor.

"That's new." Harry stated in surprise. He now let his emotions flow more freely when with friends or allies. Strangely enough, though, his guard rose up further when around the Elders as of late.

"I would highly recommend following the arrows. Your parents apparently held many secrets from the public's eye. This will likely lead to one meant explicitly for you, Harry." Griphook advised.

"Then let's." Harry nodded as he began to lead the other two. Although they knew that they were probably safe in the Potter family vault, Harry and Daphne both confirmed that their pistols and their knives, respectively, were easily available to be drawn quickly while they started down the marked path. After a few minutes of exploring, the three found themselves at part of one of the walls of the vault. This part, though, looked to be slightly different from the rest of the wall and any other in the vault. A red version of the Peverell crest glowed the same color as the arrows had except that it seemed more translucent. Harry automatically walked up and punched the middle of the crest like he had the entrance to the Potter vault. The only difference between the two times was the location, crest, and the ring used. This time, Harry punched the crest with the Peverell ring.

Instead of a pair of doors sliding open, the Peverell crest disappeared while a small part in the middle of the wall slid up into the rest of the wall. In front of the three, a small alcove was revealed. A small, light gray pyramid rested on the bottom of the recently revealed alcove. Three seconds after the wall parted, the pyramid glowed and James Potter's head was seen in three dimensions once more, and once again, it spoke.

"If you have found this, then you should be my son, Harry James Potter, and I am dead. If you are Harry and have discovered this, then you know of your inheritances. I know it must be quite astounding to suddenly be the head of six ancient and noble houses, but you must leave it alone right now and listen to me. On my side of the family, you have four of your family names. You are a Potter, Peverell, Hufflepuff, and obviously Gryffindor.

"The Potter and Peverell families have never been light or dark despite popular belief. The Peverells never adopted a side because they always were more concerned about their survival until they joined the Potters. The Peverells merged with the Potters because they both shared the belief of their families' survivals. Everyone besides two families forget that the Potters were first a grey family. The first Potters were not met well, but within that first generation they morphed into the popular belief of being light.

"Later, the Greengrass family would start with that same mistake, but the Potters quickly and secretly convened with them. At the meeting, they revealed their true beliefs and convinced the Greengrasses to become dark. Both have been gaining allies and support since.

"Find the Greengrasses and they will help you. Anton was the head of the family when I made this and was or is the secret marauder, so he is the one you really want to find. Good-bye, my son. Know that even though I am probably dead, I will always love you dearly." The head then receded back into the pyramid before the shape grew brighter. After a second, a beam of gray light emerged quickly and penetrated Harry's heart. It entered but did not mark the teenager.

Harry's eyes widened and grew a brighter emerald color as energy surged through his body. It quickly was pumped throughout Harry's body as his blood transported the new energy to every cell, tissue, and organ in Harry, empowering his magic. After a few seconds, the beam receded back and grew void of color. Harry's eyes closed as he went down on his hands and knees, panting for breath.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Griphook asked, concerned. It would definitely not do to have his charge be injured while in his care. Plus, the teen seemed like a good, respectful person.

Daphne, though, could feel through the link that they shared that Harry was completely fine. "Do not be alarmed, Griphook. That was just another present from Harry's parents."

"There is another one as well." Harry rose from his previous position. "Look." He pointed towards the floor where a new set of gray arrows resided.

"Where do they lead to?" Daphne asked. She couldn't find this new knowledge that Harry seemed to possess in his mind.

"A gift for you, and more knowledge for us." Harry replied. "We will then be equal for this."

As soon as he finished speaking, the pyramid revealed one last surprise by suddenly scanning Daphne

"It is just ensuring that it is about to give the gift to the correct person." Harry assured. The pyramid stopped after a few seconds and disintegrated before the alcove became hidden again.

Harry then began to follow the path predesignated over fourteen years ago. Daphne soon fell in step with him, and Griphook came followed along. After another set of twists and turns, the three ended up at the opposite wall. This time, the Hogwarts crest marked a section of the wall. As before, Harry punched the middle of it with the matching ring. Again, a secret alcove revealed itself. Inside, though, was a gray floating sphere. As before, it glowed and a head appeared in front of the trio. This time it was Lily's.

"Hello, Daphne. I assume that since you are here that Harry has found you and at least partly developed the soul bond. I won't bore you like James probably did and make this easier for you." The head then disappeared, and a beam of grey energy entered Daphne like it had with Harry.

After a few moments she rose to face Lily's head once more.

"Now that that is out of the way, let me speak briefly to you both. As you might have guessed, I am a Ravenclaw and Slytherin inheritantly. The Evans family, for a long period of time, was thought to be filled with squibs. As they had less and less contact with the magical world, they grew to adopt muggle traditions. During this transformation, they discarded their ancestral names to fit in better. In the beginning, the family was called Slytherin. That name, though, was changed when Salazar and Rowena Ravenclaw's son was born, and Salazar showed his gray beliefs to the other two founders. Godric portrayed him as dark and evil, so there was inevitable duel between the two, where he killed Salazar. Rowena became depressed as soon as she heard the news and hid their child with one of her friends' families. From there, the Slytherin line seemed to end. Later with the death of Rowena's daughter, the Ravenclaw would seem to end as well.

"At the school today, though, there are four secret chambers for each of the founders. Each one is hidden at Hogwarts and can be revealed by talking to the castle. To command the castle's wards and such, I would highly recommend talking to her, so you may gain access to these defenses.

"Finally, I wanted to wish you luck in all of your life. I am so sorry that I couldn't be there to see you two and get to know you two as you grow up into the people you will be for the rest of your lives. Even though one of you isn't my child by birth, I love you both so much. Good bye." Lily's head then disappeared, the sphere disintegrated, and the alcove closed.

"I feel like there should have been something else." Daphne stated curiously. Harry nodded while scanning the area with his eyes.

"If you don't have any other business here at the moment, would you like to join your companions?" Griphook asked.

"I think that would be the wisest course of action." Harry confirmed before the goblin lead the way back to the cart. As soon as the three crossed the threshold of the doorway, the pair of doors quickly slammed together and locked. A few moments later, the cart was a just a memory of one of the many times that it had stopped in front of that particular vault.

As soon as the cart had jolted to a stop, Harry, Daphne, and Griphook dismounted and navigated the corridors to wind up in an impressive room.

Parts of Gringotts had been turned into a military installation in the event of an attack on the building. For the marble colored building was not just a bank, it was originally a forward base set up to attack wizards and witches during one of the many goblin wars and rebellions. Recently, the Grey Assassins had readied it for their rise to power.

Currently, the modern Assassins were in what could be called the training room and one of the armories. For every Hogwarts Assassin there was two goblins familiarizing them on their weapons, armors, and fighting styles.

"Harry, what took you so long? We were beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up." Sirius chuckled.

"Mum and Dad put some things in the Potter vault that were originally hidden to me." Harry replied.

Severus nodded. "Very well. Now, get to training. We want you to be as prepared as you can in years to come."

"Of course." Daphne and Harry smiled before they tossed their outer robes to the side to reveal their hidden arsenals. Both held almost identical weapons with the only exception being some of their appearances.

Each had a pair of pistols at their sides and back with the rest of the space being filled by sharper weapons. Besides the pair of lightsabers that hung towards the front of their belts, the space was filled by small throwing knives, two daggers, and shurikens contained in two dragonhinde pouches. The hilts of a pair of swords could be barely seen poking out from behind their backs. They were attached to the outside of their inner robes by swinging across their backs. Normally, all of their weapons were disillusioned with a quick charm, but the Assassins were in friendly hands.

"Take off your weapons. They won't be able to help you during this." A gruff looking and surprisingly tall goblin ordered as he approached the two. He measured up to Harry's five feet four inch height. By the looks of the goblin's magnificent armor, he seemed to be at least the head of security for the bank if not the second-in-command of the Goblin Army. Ragnok as the king was the led the Goblin Army in battle.

The couple didn't spare each other a glance but quickly decided to follow the goblin's instructions. They unclipped their belts and swung them over to their pile of robes in one fluid motion before unclipping their swords from their backs.

"We have other weapons, but we would rather not remove them. It would take up some time."

"Fine." The goblin growled before having two other armored goblins lead Daphne to another part of the room. Harry had the luck of being led by the authoritative goblin.

"Your teachers have told me you are proficient in wielding edged weapons." The still unidentified goblin stopped on one side of a broad circle. Harry stopped opposite of him.

"Yes. I can wield swords of any length, axes, hatchets, daggers, knives, throwing stars, bows, and spears to an extent." Harry replied confidently but not in a boasting way.

"Spears are one of the goblins favorite weapons; it won't do if all you have is a spear and are inadequate with it." Harry nodded. The goblin went over to a nearby rack and grabbed three two-meter spears. Each was made out of clean, shiny bronze, but both were quite plain looking. Oddly, though, the tip was the bronze as well and appeared welded onto the rest of the staff. The goblin tossed one of the spears with the tip directed at the ground to Harry. "Let's see how bad you do." The goblin smirked diabolically.

Harry had grabbed the weapon and changed his positioning, so he held the spear with both hands on his right side with the tip about a foot in front of his abdomen.

"A spear is considered useless to many; it is longer and more clumsy than a sword, doesn't have the range of a bow, and is weaker than most axes." The goblin said, just holding the spears in his hands. "It requires you to be finely tuned with it. Unlike a sword, this is not so easy to accomplish. It does have one advantage, though." He took the left weapon and held it so that he could easily throw it with all of his weight. To the untrained eye, the entire motion seemed to take no time at all. "The spear can easily change from being a fairly close quarters weapon to somewhere in the medium range." It looked like the goblin had not finished speaking before he threw the spear at Harry. Harry, in turn, slightly sidestepped to the right and used his own spear to direct the hurtling object away from him. He was barely successful in his efforts. "When thrown correctly, a spear can barely be avoided. It will end up in a body or armor, or it will bury itself in the ground to be used again when it misses. Are you following me?"

"I follow." Harry replied. "My teachers only trained me to use spears with shields or throwing them."

"They underestimate the spear then. I will make sure you don't make the same mistake." The goblin smirked again.

He then quickly charged Harry in a stance that mirrored Harry's but seemed more natural to the unusual goblin. As he approached, Harry went to jab the other's abdomen, but the goblin used the lower end of his spear to parry it away. He then used his momentum to slam the upper part of rod onto Harry's right shoulder and push the teen to the ground. The sharp spearhead never even grazed the boy. Quickly, The goblin pinned Harry down with his left knee and held the tip of his spear four centimeters above Harry's back.

"Your education with a spear is severely lacking." The winner grumbled disapprovingly.

"Then teach me what is absent." Harry replied respectfully but with a passion to learn and win.

The goblin laughed throatily. "Your teachers did not exaggerate your determination to beat your opponent and learn." He paused and then grew serious once more. "You acted too heavily on stabbing. That one motion was your end. Normally that amount of force would be fine, but when fighting in close quarters with a spear, any force used in a stabbing motion is too much." The goblin then rose from Harry's back and removed his spear to allow the teen to stand.

"So you fight with a spear more like it is a staff with a point at one end?" Harry asked as he rose from the ground. He had already analyzed the fight using the goblin's words.

The goblin grinned toothily. "Exactly. You break down the enemy's defenses with the staff and use the tip to finish them off when facing another spear. When using a shield, you stab. When facing a sword, axe, or other weapon, you can use either style." He picked Harry's spear off from where it had fallen onto the ground and threw it back over to Harry like he had before. "Let's see how you use your new knowledge." The goblin then nodded toward another goblin positioned at a bell.

"3." Both beings stood as the goblin had in the first fight. "2." They gripped their spears securely. "1." Both looked each other in the eyes with looks of great determination. Both were alike in at least one way. They fought every fight with everything they had. The small goblin then rang the bell.

Time slowed as Harry and the goblin charged each other with their spears across their chests. Neither one realized that his actions mimicked the other's. When they came within stabbing range, the goblin swung the lower end of his weapon towards Harry's neck at a slight downward angle. Harry, though, slid down on his knees and used the upper end of his spear without the spearhead to strike the goblin in the back. Using his momentum and the spear as a lever, Harry rose from his knees and onto his feet with the spear in both hands on his right side and the tip of the spear pointed a few centimeters off of the goblin's back.

"Winner: Potter!" The bell-ringing goblin announced. Harry took his spear and stood it on its flat end, keeping it still with his right hand.

The goblin turned around with a grin on his face but a slight bit of disappointment in his eyes. "Good job. You adapt quickly."

Harry lowered his head for a few seconds as a sign of respect. "Thank you… I apologize, but I didn't catch your name."

"Sharpfang, head of security for this installation of Gringotts and the second-in-command of the Goblin Army."

"Thank you then, Sharpfang. It was an honor to be taught how to wield a spear the proper way." Harry replied.

"It was a pleasure teaching one so like me." Sharpfang lowered his head in respect for a few moments.

"I apologize, Sharpfang, but I am afraid that we must leave to attend to another matter of business." Severus said as he approached.

"No worries, Severus. I just finished showing Harry here how to fight the right way with a spear. Your colleagues should be advised of their mistake." Sharpfang replied.

"I will notify them at the next juncture. We will see you next time." Severus began walking away.

"Until next time, Sharpfang." Harry shook the head goblin's hand before putting up his spear and starting to follow Severus out the door. The others were doing the same.

"I expect a rematch in the future." Sharpfang called right as Harry started crossing the threshold known as the doorway. Harry turned and nodded with a grin on his face.

After all of the Orderians and allies left, Sharpfang said to no one in particular, "That boy is destined for great things." An odd look stayed on the goblin's face before he shook his head and turned to his men. "What are you waiting for? I don't think even one of you has finished all of your duties today. Get to them!"

"What else is there to do, Dad?" Harry asked as they walked down one of the hallways of the illustrious building.

"We need to head back to the Elders to see if they have any new missions for us. If they do, then the designated people will leave at the appropriate time to accomplish them." Severus replied militaristically and loud enough for everyone to hear. "You will go back to Griphook and deal with Slasher."

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.

"I don't know. I feel like something is, but I can't pinpoint it." Severus replied thoughtfully.

"Well, we'll just have to be prepared for anything, won't we?" Neville asked.

"Not that we'd do anything any other way." Draco chuckled.

The group then arrived at the Gringotts Transport Room. The Orderians helped their allies any way they could. As soon as everyone was inside, the group apparated away.

A moment later, they arrived at their destination without Harry, the Greengrass parents, Sirius, and Remus. They had gone home.

"Identification, please." A guard demanded. Each Orderian revealed their tattoo before proceeding out.

The group navigated the hallways with ease to end up in front of the Elders' door once more.

"Identify." One of the guards ordered.

Daphne sighed before showing his tattoo. "I think the Elders are getting a little too paranoid."

"You may proceed." The guard ignored Daphne's statement. The doors then opened and everyone entered with the door closing behind them.

Meanwhile, Harry had arrived back at Griphook's office and was now proceeding down into the depths of Gringotts beside the goblin.

"Just a short way now." Griphook said as they came up to an ominous door, which could barely be seen for the amount of locks on it. Foot wide and thick metal bars crossed in front of the door with several keyholes in between each bar. Connected from the walls to the doors were chains. Metal spikes connected the floor and the ceiling between the walls. Griphook put his index finger into a small gap in the wall to their right, causing the spikes to retract from the middle and into the ceiling and floor. He then ran his finger along the left side of the door to retract the metal bars. Finally, he removed a large ring of keys and began to unlock each one.

"Nice security." Harry commented as the door closed and locked behind them.

"We wouldn't want prisoners escaping their wrongdoings, would we?" Griphook smirked darkly.

The two then proceeded forward into the depths of the Gringotts dungeons. After a few minutes, they finally arrived at one of the prison blocks.

Like the rest of the dungeon, the hallway was dimly lit and made of stone. Metal cages lined both walls and were separated by meter-thick stone. This was the worst kept secret prison of Britain. While Azkaban was supposedly the only one, everyone knew that ending up here was a great possibility if he or she cheated the bank.

Griphook led Harry up to the eighth cell on the left before he stopped and took out the key that would unlock the door. "Slasher, you traitor! Lord Potter is here to judge you, so stand up and present yourself!"

A goblin in a tattered suit walked up to the bars. Especially in his state of dress, he looked fearsome. "Lord Potter, please spare me! What they say is false! Please don't kill me!"

"Mind yourself, traitor. You might have betrayed everything we stand for, but you are still a Gringotts goblin, not some uneducated mountain-dweller!" Griphook growled before turning to Harry. "What is your decision, Harry?"

Harry thought deeply for a moment. "Before I decide, I have at least one question for you, Slasher."

"Yes, milord?"

"Did you help Albus Dumbledore steal from me?"

"No, I-" Slasher was interrupted by Harry penetrating his mind.

As he had practiced many times before, Harry had tricked his target to bring the answer to his question to the front of his mind. After a few seconds, Harry pulled out of Slasher's mind.

"How dare you invade the mind of a goblin, human?" Slasher growled viciously.

"Just tell me one thing, Slasher. Why?" Harry paused, looking as if he was extremely saddened. "Why did you betray me?" Harry growled much like his wolf form and showed his teeth. "Why did you take advantage of me?" Harry shouted. "Why did you betray James and Lily's son?" Harry used his elemental magic to heat up the bars of Slasher's cell to a scolding temperature. Automatically, the goblin recoiled from the bars gripped his hands painfully. "Open the cell, Griphook. He dies at my hands here and now." Griphook nodded enthusiastically, shoved the key in the keyhole, and removed the one thing that obstructed Harry from justice.

With that obstacle out of the way, Harry entered the cell and walked towards Slasher, who had pinned himself in a corner.

"Just make it quick, won't you?" Slasher cried.

Harry closed in on the traitorous goblin and stood still.

Slasher had already moved into the fetal position but cautiously looked up at Harry's lack of motion.

Harry then kicked the goblin in the face, hard. "You are dead to me, but that doesn't mean I will kill you. You are of more use alive, at least to Gringotts as a pen handler."

"Thank you, milord. You are most generous." Slasher bowed.

"I said, 'that doesn't mean I will kill you.' If your old colleagues deem you of no use, then they'll make an example of you to all traitorous thieves." Harry looked disdainfully at Slasher before turning to Griphook and walking out of the cell. "See that it is done if you could."

"Of course, Harry. Do you have any preferences if he is of no use to us alive?" Griphook asked as he closed and locked the cell.

"Be creative." Harry grinned. A dark look crossed Griphook's face.

"In the meantime, Gringotts should know that Slasher hid all of the money he stole from my family and me in vault 327. He split everything evenly with that traitor Dumbledore." Harry said as they began walking back up towards the surface.

"We'll have it examined immediately." Griphook replied.

"Anything else need to be covered while I am here?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry, although you will be pleased to know that we updated the wards on each one of your homes in preparation of their use. We also took the privilege of ensuring that the house elves cleaned up the properties just as you asked." Griphook replied.

"Good. I think I'll head over to Greengrass Manor in the meantime. I will see you in a few weeks to pick up the rings." Harry nodded.

"I will have them ready for you. Until then, fair well." Griphook smiled before he started the trek back to his office. He knew that Harry could find his own way. He had ventured through the bank enough times to head back to the Transport Room.

"May your vaults be ever flowing with gold!" Harry called before Griphook turned a corner. Harry managed to glimpse a grin on the goblin's face.

A few days later and almost four thousand miles away, a lone man stood on top of a building with a heavy downpour pummeling him and the surrounding rooftop. Suddenly, a Barrett M82A1 appeared in his arms. He then walked up to the edge of the building. A flash of lightning revealed that the man wore a cloak that showed no part of his body except for the lower part of his face. His hood hid his eyes, cheeks, and nose.

"This is alpha wolf. I'm in position."

"You are clear to shoot when target comes into sight and the shot is good."

"Understood. Alpha wolf: out."

The man then checked his timekeeper and set the bipod up on the ledge that surrounded the rooftop. He checked down the sights to register that everything was working properly. He had already gone over it completely ten times. The man then pointed the rifle down to the street and aimed his sights at the door to a building across the street. The man waited five minutes before his patience paid off. Right on time, a short man came walking out in a small crowd of people. A piece of wood could barely be seen poking out of his sleeve. The man directed the gun to follow the other man down a ways up the street before he cocked the rifle. After one final range check, the rifle bucked violently to mark the passage of a .50 caliber round being propelled down into the unfortunate man. The bullet entered his right temple and came out the left cheek, shattering the man's brain before ricocheting off of the brick wall beside the target.

"Target taken care of. I'll pack up and be back in less than five minutes." Harry said over his gauntlet's communicator.

*Static*

"Base, come in. Did you hear me? Target is dead. I'll be out in five or less." Harry made the rifle disappear, melted the spent shell casing on the ground, and backed off of the ledge. "Shit! What the fuck is going on?"

Harry was left with static and no answer but did get a response of some nature.

Six people dressed in completely black cloaks and masks apparated onto the rooftop. Each one held a wand at the ready or a semi-automatic rifle. Three held one of the options and the other three chose the other. All six were in a circle around Harry. Their choice of weapon alternated between each one.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly reacted by running towards one of the wand holders. Automatically, the six aimed at Harry but were shocked when he disappeared. Suddenly, Harry reappeared behind the wand holder at the opposite end of the circle and twisted his neck with his gloved hands so that it broke. Before the other five could stop Harry, he was gone. Again, he appeared behind a definite magical being and broke his neck. He repeated this process with the last one before Harry seemed to have disappeared for good.

"Check the others. Greg, help cover him." One of them said gruffly. The others nodded before all of them moved towards one of the dead bodies.

As the one called Greg got in position, he was ridden with bullet holes in his back.

"What the fucking hell?" The one who had given orders shouted. Thunder masked his outburst. "Get over here, Tom. We can still get this fucker!"

Unfortunately for the leader, he was wrong. To prove this, Harry exploded him with a wandless spell.

Tom stood still in shock, covered in his former leader's blood and shattered organs. Harry slowly walked up behind him with one of his swords in his right hand.

"This will teach you to try and kill me." Harry said under his breath before he cleanly swiped Tom's head off of his neck.

With that final kill, Harry apparated back to Grey Base One.

He was met with a stunned party.

"What happened?" Seamus asked.

"We lost contact with you and were just about to head out to your location." Blaise said.

Harry began to walk out of the Transport Room and motioned for his two most teammates to follow. "I finished off the target with ease. I went to contact you guys to tell you, but something was blocking me. Less than a minute later, six men apparated onto the roof and tried to kill me. I made sure they died instead."

"That's a problem. I'll go take a team of mercenaries to examine the bodies." Blaise said.

"Good idea. Seamus, go with him. Two Assassins are better than one." Harry replied.

"We'll stay discreet." Seamus replied before the two hurried off to round up a few mercenaries.

About a minute after they detached from the group, Harry arrived at the doors to the Elders' Chamber. He quickly rolled up his left sleeve and showed it to the guard on the left.

"You may proceed." It said just as the doors opened.

"Harry, I assume the Baltimore mission was a success?" Edward asked as the teen stepped in front of him and the other four.

"To a degree, yes. I eliminated the target but had an altercation afterward." Harry replied.

"What kind of altercation?" Henry asked cautiously.

"After I took the man out, I tried to contact base but was jammed. I backed off the ledge to remain unseen, and a few moments later, six men apparated onto the roof in a circle around me. They were armed with wands and M16A2s if I spotted it right. I managed to take each one of them out. I apparated back here after I killed the last one. Seamus and Blaise were just about to leave to go look for me when I arrived back here. They are taking a team of mercenaries to examine the bodies." Harry informed quickly but clearly.

"Good. We'll ask them about what they found as soon as they arrive back." Victor replied.

Edward bent forward and pressed a button on the desk.

"Transport room here, sir."

"Please inform Orderians Finnegan and Zabini when they return to report to us for a debriefing."

"Will do, sir."

Edward pushed the button once more.

A few minutes later, the doors opened.

"Blaise, Seamus, what did you two find?" Harry asked.

The two gave each other and Harry a grave look.

"We didn't find shit. There wasn't even a trace of blood on the rooftop." Seamus finally answered.

"We scanned it all with our eyes and gauntlets, but there was nothing." Blaise added.

"This is a grave situation then." Evelyn commented.

"Someone knew that you were going to be on that roof, taking out that target, at that time." Henry developed the thought.

"Besides that, there is another interesting part." Helen said. This statement had the woman receive curious looks from everyone in the chamber. "Doesn't anyone else want to know why the team didn't try eliminating Harry while he was sniping the target? He was much more vulnerable while looking down his scope."

"Then whoever those men worked for also wanted that man dead." Henry realized.

"We'll have to research the target some more to see who he was connected to who would want him dead as well." Evelyn prophesized.

"In the meantime, I want all Orderians to return home and not venture out too much in public. I don't think there's a mole in this organization; it's too sloppy for one of ours." Edward spoke to the three teens in front of the Elders. They nodded in response.

"Good. Now get going. We have much to discuss." Edward dismissed.

The three bade their good byes and left the chamber and proceeded towards the Transport Room.

When they arrived, Harry turned towards his lieutenants. "Stay safe, guys. Don't go out in public too much and always stay vigilant and aware. Try not to meet with any of the others that would seem out of place until the wedding in August."

"Don't worry, Harry. You know that we can handle ourselves. You've worked with us enough to know that." Blaise replied.

"I know, but that doesn't stop me being concerned for everyone, you two especially." Harry sighed.

Seamus put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "If it'll help keep you sane, we'll be extra careful."

Harry nodded. "I'll see you guys in August or sooner if the Elders discover who is behind this."

"See you then." The three teens then apparated away, each to their parents' homes or in Harry's case, the Greengrass manor. Although Harry had three father figures, his soul bond still required that he stay with the Greengrasses during this summer.

A few weeks later, Harry would travel to Gringotts and pick up the wedding rings. Potter and Greengrass house elves were handling all other wedding preparations. They were steadily setting everything up in the rear garden at Potter manor.

On July 31st, Harry had a small party that included only the Greengrasses, Sirius, Remus, and Severus. Astoria was with the Malfoys at their manor.

He received a new watch from the Greengrasses. It was now the fourth one in his growing collection. Remus gave Harry a book on special defensive spells and a photograph of the marauders before James and Lily's deaths. The latter made a tear barely become visible in Harry's right eye. Severus then came up with his gift.

"Here you go, Harry." The oldest Orderian in the manor handed his adopted son a large box wrapped badly in brown packaging paper.

"Thanks for hand wrapping it, Dad." Harry replied as he put the package on the dining table.

"Just because it is your birthday doesn't mean I won't fight and beat you." Severus warned.

"What if I was being sincere?" Harry asked. Severus tilted his head to the side and gave the teen a look.

Harry just chuckled in reply before taking out a dagger and slicing a small lit in the layers of paper. He set the dagger down onto the table and tore the paper off the package using the slit as a vantage point. Harry revealed an engraved box under the layers of paper. Upon opening the box, Harry discovered three rings with dull gray bands and gray spinel gemstones. The three were not elaborate, breathtaking, or eye drawing by any means but seemed to have a power about them.

"When I was in the Order for six years and your age, my master gave me these. He told me that they would serve me well in the field no matter what it was and that each of these had been passed down from master to student since their creation shortly after the Order was founded. I will leave you to discovering the value of each ring, but know that they have proved themselves to maybe be the greatest tools I have possessed." Severus had a small but proud smile on his face as he remembered how much the rings had benefited him over the years since they came into his possession. He looked up at Harry and his smile grew wider in pride. "I only ask that you use them to the fullest and to ensure that they are passed on to one of your students."

"How will I know which one to give them to?" Harry asked curiously.

Severus chuckled. "You will know when the student comes along. It will just feel… right is the only way to explain it."

Harry nodded. "Any particular finger or fingers that they need to be put on?" Severus shook his head. Harry then took out each ring and put one on his left index, one on his left middle, and one on his left pinky finger.

"I guess there is no point in asking if you could give me a hint?" Harry asked hopefully.

"What do you think?" Severus asked.

"I had a feeling you would say that." Harry said before getting up and hugging his supposed worst teacher. "Thank you, dad."

"You are welcome, son. You are so welcome."

"My turn." Daphne smiled as Harry backed away from the hug after a few seconds.

"Sorry, Daffodil, but would you mind if I gave Harry his gift before you?" Sirius asked with barely contained glee.

Daphne sighed. "As long as you do not ever call me daffodil again." Besides niceties, Daphne allowed the fugitive to deliver his gift before her to avoid the man exploding from pent up excitement.

"No promises. Now Harry, come with me. You're going to love this!" Sirius quickly slid his chair back from the table and started to briskly walk towards his yet unknown destination. Harry shrugged and hurried to follow his godfather.

"He is still going to call me a flower, isn't he?" Daphne sighed.

"Probably, but don't worry. All you have to do is get a marauder name, and it will change." Anton chuckled.

"Is it too late to drop him off back at Azkaban, at least for a few days to teach him a lesson?" Daphne asked.

"I wish I still had you in my house, Daphne. I really do." Severus smiled.

"Don't give her any ideas, Severus. It is bad enough that Harry is a prankster. We don't need another one like him or any of the old marauders, including me. Now Daphne… I would suggest finding your fiancé and Sirius before the marauder gets them both into trouble." Anton said. Daphne nodded and rose from the table and used her soul bond to find the two on the driveway.

"Hi, Daphne." Harry smiled, wrapping his hand around hers. Even after holding her hand so many times, he was still amazed at how soft they felt, especially considering their kind of work. "So, Padfoot, where is this gift?"

"O ye of little faith." Sirius shook his head but smiled. Harry rolled his eyes. "I present… your… birthday… present!" Sirius then mumbled a spell quietly and held his arms out wide after taking a few steps back.

A few moments passed.

"Sirius, are you all right?" Harry asked carefully as the questioned man started scanning the sky.

The marauder ignored Harry's question and started muttering to himself. "Just a few more seconds, just a few more seconds."

Finally, a motorcycle dropped onto the ground.

Sirius's face automatically brightened. "Ta-da!"

"You got me a motorcycle?" Harry's eyes widened. "Is this a prank?"

"No, but now that you mention it… that would be a good one. I'll store that away for later." Sirius noted before getting back to his gift to Harry. "Besides, it isn't just a motorbike, it is a sport bike."

"What exactly is it besides a sport bike?" Harry asked as he examined the completely blacked out piece of complicated machinery and plastic.

"It is a… 1994 599cc Yamaha YZF600R 4 Cylinder 6 speed." Sirius read from a small piece of paper he took out from his pocket. "They are only produced in America right now." Sirius had a wide grin on his face.

"Sirius… you shouldn't have." Harry was blown away.

"Consider it a way to make up for a few missed birthdays, cub. I know you can't ride it now, but… it'll be waiting for you when you can." Sirius replied.

"Who says I can't ride it?" Harry smiled.

"I knew you were the son of a marauder!" Sirius exclaimed triumphantly.

"I am, but I'm also the son of an Orderian." Harry's face held a small smile.

"So how about you two go for a quick ride? You do know how to ride it, right?" Sirius asked.

Harry and Daphne each summoned a helmet for the other. After strapping them on their heads, Harry and Daphne, respectively, sat on the bike. "See you in a minute." Harry said after he hit the electric start and the cycle roared to life.

"See you." With that said, Harry and Daphne lowered the tinted black glass of their helmets and rode away. Harry urged the bike to go faster down the driveway. When he was about to hit the gate, Harry braked and sharply tilted to the side, allowing the bike to turn completely around.

"Up for some fun?" Harry asked.

"Let's do it." Daphne replied.

Harry then gave the bike as much gas as he could as quickly as he could, making the bike race down the driveway back towards Sirius.

"Okay! That's a good enough place!" Sirius shouted at a point when they were getting a little too close for comfort. "Seriously! That's fine!"

Harry continued to speed up, and Sirius continued to get more concerned.

"Ah!" Sirius screamed right as the bike was about to run over the man. Harry, though, apparated away before Sirius became road kill. A few seconds later, they appeared back in front of Sirius at a complete stop. "Not funny!"

"I thought that was pretty funny. What about you Harry?" Daphne asked as Harry cut the engine and Daphne dismounted the bike.

"Pretty great." Harry nodded as he got off and the two removed their helmets.

"I can't believe you guys did that! You two could have killed me!" Sirius shouted.

"If we wanted you dead, Padfoot, you would be." Harry replied as the couple started heading inside.

"That's why you don't call me daffodil." Daphne added before the two started reentering the manor. Behind them the bike suddenly disappeared as well as Harry's helmet.

Harry quickly looked at where his helmet had been and looked behind him at Sirius. It was then that he noticed the absence of his gift. "What did you do with the cycle?"

Sirius turned around and looked curiously. "Nothing. I left it alone!"

Daphne then noticed an oddity on Harry's left index finger. The ring was glowing a deep gray color.

Harry sensed Daphne's curiosity, so he examined the ring. After touching it, the two missing objects appeared in Harry's mind, suspended in the air of a white, endless landscape. Some instinct told Harry that he had to choose between the two or leave. Logically, he chose the cycle. The next moment, Harry moved his hand to the driveway, and the bike appeared.

All three exchanged curious looks.

"Let me try something." Harry said before he thought about the ring again. As before, he saw the helmet in his mind again but without Harry's gift. Harry decided to leave the helmet alone so he refocused on reality. "That's wild. This ring allows me to store and retrieve objects on a whim." Harry then pointed his left hand at the motorcycle and focused on it being absorbed into his ring. Unsurprisingly to him, the bike turned into light as it raced into his ring.

"I guess his gift wins." Sirius grumbled to himself before everyone reentered the manor and proceeded back to the dining room.

"I discovered one of the rings' purpose." Harry said as he sat down.

"Which one?" Severus asked.

"The one that allows you to hide objects inside it." Harry replied.

"Each one will reveal the use at some point. Hopefully they won't need to be revealed when you are in distress." Severus nodded.

"Sorry, dad, but I think it is time for me to give Harry his gift." Daphne smiled. Severus was as good as a father-in-law already. The man outreached his hand to say for her to go ahead.

Daphne mouthed thank you before walking up to her fiancé, betrothed, and soul mate. She handed her soon-to-be husband a large, plain, black box. Harry opened it to find four fairly large objects: a griffin talon, a basilisk fang, eagle feather, and a badger's claw.

Harry looked up and smiled. "Jericho, Deus, Acquilina, and Meles?"

Daphne nodded. "To add to your necklace. Just shrink them if need be."

Harry stood up and hugged the other teen tightly. He whispered, "Thank you," as they held each other.

"Ahem." Everyone turned to look at the man who spoke. "You're not married yet."

"Oh, Anton, give them a break! They are getting married in three days." Iris chided.

"Women, huh? Can't live with-" Iris kicked Sirius for even thinking of that statement. Sirius chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

"So what did Sirius give you, Harry?" Anton changed the subject while he had a chance. Sirius repeatedly shook his right in front of his neck.

Harry looked at Daphne. "What do you think?"

"Make him suffer."

"That's one of the many reasons I love you."

Harry looked up at Sirius with an evil glint in his eyes.

'Shit. I'm in trouble.'

"He gave me a new motorcycle." Harry finally answered.

Iris's smile automatically dropped, and she turned to the escaped convict, glaring.

"Well, would you look at the time? I really have to go. See everyone at the wedding!" Sirius then tried to apparate. "Care to help out an old pal, Slithers?"

Everyone excluding the marauders turned to Anton. "Slithers? Really?" Daphne asked.

"Least it wasn't Prongs, Padfoot, Mooney, or especially Wormtail." Anton shrugged. "Speaking of Padfoot, sorry, Sirius. You're on your own."

Sirius quickly ran out of the dining room and towards the nearest floo with a completely frightened look on his face. Iris just sat in her seat, glaring at him as long as she could before he crossed out of view.

"Why didn't you chase him?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'll get him at the wedding. There are benefits to marrying into the marauders." She looked expectantly at Remus and pleadingly at Anton. She also gave Daphne a wink.

"What do you say, Mooney? Ready to get back in the game?" Anton asked with a grin on his face.

Remus thought for a moment. "I think pranking the other marauder would be a great way to signify our comeback. Severus, are you ready to become a full-fledged marauder?" Remus grinned as well.

"Consider Sirius humiliated." Severus smirked.

"Just as long as it does not affect the actual wedding ceremonies." Iris warned.

That August the third all of the Assassin families gathered at the rear garden of Potter manor. Each of the families were currently supposed to be somewhere else or with another one of the present families but that was the benefit of being an Assassin: deception.

Harry first laid eyes on his oldest childhood home that very day early in the morning. Immediately once he arrived, the house elves had given him a quick but full tour of the manor and its grounds so that he would not get lost. He was informed that Daphne had done the same a short while after once he was secured in one of the guest rooms.

Surprisingly enough, the manor was a homely brick red color for they lined the entire outside of the manor. The roof, balconies, and trim, though, were a midnight black, somehow this combination made the manor seem homely and welcoming. In many ways it was akin to the Greengrass manor but had an odd shape about it. When coming down the driveway, the manor looked slightly concaved like a slightly bent piece of metal or something of the like. Behind the manor, a long stretch of lawn could be seen before approaching a forest that stretched on as much as the lawn did. In the middle of the forest there was a small lake with a small cabin beside it. All around the yard, large nests could be seen for long ago the Potters had started breeding their symbol: griffins. Nowadays, the huge and mighty creatures could be easily seen around the grounds.

Once inside the room, Harry was kept under close guard by at least one of the men at one time. Each had helped the teen put on his suit and ensure it looked fantastic and proper. He wore black trousers, a white button down shirt, a black waistcoat, a black single-breasted coat, a black bowtie, and black dragonhide shoes. The front of the coat had no pockets. Harry had also allowed all of his rings show. Each of the rings was magically lightened so that he could easily wear them. With Anton's help, he was able to tame his hair for the occasion and let it be smooth but clean looking. Underneath his clothes, he wore the necklace Daphne had made for him.

"I can't believe it." Sirius smiled.

Harry turned away from looking at himself at adjusting everything on and about him to look curiously at his godfather.

"I always thought that I would be the one to teach you how to pick up women, girls, and all of that. I was going to make you a player if Lily and James died… at least that was the plan." Sirius chuckled. "It looks like you didn't need any help there, did you? I know you two are bonded and betrothed but I can tell that you have a certain quality about you, Harry. James had a little bit of it but not like you. You make people want to join you, yet you don't use it to be selfish. I can't even imagine how proud James would be of you right now because I have barely gotten to know you but I am so proud to call you my godson."

Harry smiled with tears ready to be unleashed from his eyes. "Thank you, Sirius. That means more than you can know." The man then walked up to Harry and wrapped him in a hug.

"Now, let's stop being a pair of pansies and stop crying before we ruin our appearances. After all, you are an esteemed lord and I need to start earning back my brilliant reputation." Sirius broke the hug.

"Trust me, Padfoot. From what I heard, you did not lose any reputation to be proud of." Harry chuckled.

"Oh shut it, you little twerp. Just because it is your wedding day does not mean I will not kick the shite out of you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Remember who the Assassin is around here."

"I think they are all on their way over if not in the backyard, but I believe Severus is still in the manor. Do you want me to get him?"

"Cute." Harry disappeared for a moment.

"Shit! Everyone will kill me if they find out he got away from me!" Sirius panicked.

"How much is it worth to you?"

"Oh, Harry! Thank Merlin you are still here." Sirius sighed.

"Will you behave now?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded.

"Good. It will make it a lot easier on everyone."

A few hours later, Harry was quickly taken outside and onto the backyard lawn. The men quickly dragged him past the pews and along the white stone path that led to the altar and the presiding wizarding minister. He was an old, short man but with a fairly thin figure and no hair. He wore a set of whit robes. The men had to bring Harry around the entire set-up since the altar was closest to the manor.

"Excuse me… Sorry, I don't know what the appropriate term would be to call you." Harry chuckled nervously after the other people had left

"Father or minister is just fine with me, lad." The man had a thick Scottish accent.

"Well… minister, do you know when the ceremony will start and we can get this over with?" Harry asked.

"Nervous?" The older man chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry. It will all be worth it." The minister replied.

Harry was silent for a few moments. "Like fighting an uphill battle when you are about to reach the top?"

"I've never heard it put that way, but I guess so." The man was puzzled about the teen that stood before him.

Before their conversation could progress any further and more awkward, Harry's friends and their families started to arrive.

"Excuse me, minister, for a moment, would you?"

"Be my guest. It is your wedding after all."

Harry nodded before locking eyes with his main team. Each of them nodded before meeting over at one of the tables in the reception area. That part of the set-up was filled with fountains and small round tables for everyone to sit at. The four teens gathered at one of the tables far enough away from the others as not to be overheard.

"What's going on?" Anthony asked concisely.

"I needed an excuse to get away from that minister. He's a bloody nightmare to talk to. You think we would have gotten someone who knows who we are." Harry replied.

"Probably are going to just obliviate him but store the memory before hand so we have proof it happened." Blaise thought.

"Cheer up, mate! You are about to be married, so stop worrying about everything except this moment. It's like Severus says: 'you have to stay focused on the present mission.'" Seamus mimicked Severus's serious tone.

"Please... do not ever do that again. That was worse than your card playing." Blaise commented. The three teens, that were not Irish, laughed hard.

"Blaise, that was not even to me, but that felt like a hard kick below the belt! Are you okay, Seamus?" Harry cracked up.

"Want me to try a spell to heal your bits?" Anthony added.

"Oh, don't get me started on his bits!" Blaise roared. By now, the three were laughing so hard that when they spoke that their words and jokes were slurring together, and Seamus was getting furious.

"Least I don't have to be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. I couldn't imagine how cold it would be in those rooms, especially with the lack of ladies in your beds!" Seamus shouted back. The two affronted people halted in their laughs while Harry cracked up further. Now, the other Assassins were gathered around their supposed "best team."

"I wouldn't talk, Harry. I can at least let go and have a good time! You are almost always stiff as a board!"

Harry immediately halted in his laughter. "Twenty push-ups, now."

"Huh?" Seamus asked dumbly.

"I will not let my teammates insult their commanding officer. In this case, that is me. Now do twenty push-ups on the ground, now!" Harry commanded.

Seamus sighed but nodded and dropped to the ground. He quickly pumped through the obstacle. "There you go… sir." He then noticed the snickers from his other teammates. "What?"

"I told you he would fall for it." Harry said, collecting some coins from Anthony and Blaise.

"That was a joke?"

"Come on guys. The wedding should start soon." Harry ignored the boy.

"Dickhead."

A few minutes later, everyone excluding the necessary people was in the pews and the organ was beginning to play. Tracey, Hannah, and a few of the other girl Assassins were laying down flowers when Daphne came into Harry's view. In Harry's mind, words could not describe the beauty known as his soon-to-be wife being escorted by her father. After what seemed a lifetime to the couple, Anton arrived at the altar, nodded to Harry, kissed his daughter, and left to sit with his own wife. Harry peeled back the veil in Daphne's face more to absorb her beauty some more than to follow proper protocols.

As the minister began, Harry's instincts went off. It was the primeval sense of danger he had grown to pay more attention to, plus something else. He heard a slight rustling with his ears and the click of something. "Move!" A voice seemed to whisper in Harry's ear. The teen's eyes automatically widened as he heard that noise and seemed to move with superhuman speed as he pushed Daphne and himself to their right. As they moved, Harry heard a whooshing sound before hearing a body drop. He knew that sound well enough since he had dropped so many like the sniper just had the minister. The only difference between the two was that Harry didn't miss. As soon as the minister was on the ground, the Assassins' families were in chaos despite the fact that their children seemed calm, cool, and collected. When they had seen the man fall, they automatically went into a defensive mode and began moving to use the pews to block as much as they could. During the few seconds, all of the teens had yelled, "get down!" and had unveiled their gauntlets as well.

"We couldn't have had this, huh?" Daphne asked with a light chuckle on her face but a sad look in her eyes. The two of them had landed on the ground in front of one of the benches.

"Sorry, love, just not in the cards at the moment."

"We should help them." Daphne

"Yeah." Harry quickly got off of his about-to-be wife but remained in a crouch, examining his surroundings quickly.

A large group of forty men had somehow managed to break into the grounds had were emerging from the trees. All of them were dressed like the people Harry killed on the roof a few weeks ago. Harry then heard something else.

"Oh, fuck!" Harry shouted as he identified the Lynx helicopter equipped with automatic gatling guns on both sides as well as two manned machine guns sticking out of the opened passenger/cargo bay. Inside, Harry could identify a few more armed men. "You take everyone else and take out those infantry. I'll handle the chopper." Daphne nodded before Harry started running out from cover and towards the chopper approaching from the group's left if they were still sitting. "Neville, get everyone out of here!" Harry yelled as he passed by the teen. Harry had decided to run first at the large group of forty before turning. It wasn't his brightest idea. Automatically, the men start shooting but Harry was not in range yet. As soon as the pilot and copilot saw Harry, though, the Gatling guns were spitting bullets.

Harry anticipated this change, however, and made sure to make his path be random until his gauntlets could do something to the helicopter. When he did, he armed the laser function and shot the front windscreen repeatedly. It did not break, but Harry was not aiming to do that. A second later, Harry jumped while doing a spin and flip to allow his feet to be in front of him and his torso to face up. In mid-flight, he apparated and appeared in front of the fast-moving vehicle. Harry's feet broke through the glass with ease, and the teen quickly slipped through. Once his head was out of the way, Harry leaned forward and did a roll before apparating and leaving a very shocked team.

A few seconds later, the pilot gained back control of the chopper and was bout to fire at the teen who was now back on the ground when the entire aircraft exploded. The team and pilots had failed to realize that Harry had brought a bit of a timed explosive with him when he rolled in the chopper. He had left it on the floor when he had apparated away.

The teen then looked over to appraise the others' situation. It looked quite well. He could see no more family members, excluding his five teams and Severus. The Assassin forces had managed to cut down the forty people to twenty. Harry decided to find the son of a bitch known as the sniper who took a shot at his Daphne. He quickly ran into the woods and let his ears listen for the slightest movement or noise besides the battle outside the tree line. Harry was wandering about when he was brought down to the ground by a piece of strong, thin material choking him around the neck. The damn sniper had jumped out from his position. Harry melded with the shadows, though, when he touched the ground. Quickly, he came up behind the man and cut his legs with his right lightsaber. He then slapped the very handcuffs on the man's person on the man's hands. He forced his arms around a tree to ensure his lack of escape.

"I'll be right back, asshole." Harry then disappeared in the shadows to help his friends dispatch the last few members of the invading men.

"Who were they?" Terry asked as they looked at each of the fallen to ensure their death.

"I don't know but I have one chained up back in the woods. Seamus, Blaise, can you fetch him and make sure that he is secure? I just did a quick fix." Harry looked at each of his men as two of his team disappeared. "Any casualties?"

"Besides minor scrapes and bruises from our families, I didn't notice anything. Although the minister did die." Hannah replied.

"Where are they now?"

"Everyone was sent home using floos in the house at fist until we realized that we could apparate out of the grounds. We assume that's how they got in." Neville replied.

Harry sighed. "One mistake and I risked all of your families' lives as well as yours. I can't begin to say-"

"Don't worry, mate. Everyone here knew what they were getting into when they signed up, and we notified our parents who accepted everything. It is fine." Draco interrupted. Harry nodded.

"Here you go, Harry." Seamus said as he and Blaise dropped the man to the dirt.

Harry swiftly walked up to the dirt bag and raised his head. "I am only going to ask this once. If I get any trouble from you, I will not hesitate to torture you. I am a professional, but this is personal. Who sent you to kill us?" Harry growled.

"I-I-I can't! They'll kill me!"

"What I will do to you is far worse than death." Harry threatened. "Now answer the question!"

The man tried to nod quickly but was restricted due to Harry's hand. "They called themselves the… elders or something like that. They recruited all of us to take out you and your group. We were at their… base I guess you would call it. All of it was shades of gray but had lots of weapons and stuff inside."

"What did these… elders look like?" Harry tried to remain hopeful despite his still threatening voice.

"I don't know. They wore these big, fancy, gray robes with hoods over their faces. I did get their first names, though!" The man tried coming up with anything to stop the teen hanging over him from killing him.

"Let me guess… Helen… Henry… Victor… Evelyn… and Edward."

"That's right, but how did you-" The man began to ask curiously.

Harry dropped the man's face in the grass, dirt, and debris called the ground. He then stood up and summoned his Beretta 92fs. "They should have told you who you were trying to kill: their own." Harry then shot the man in the head before looking up at everyone's faces. Each held a somber and grave one. Even Severus seemed lost.

"What's our next move, Harry?" Draco asked.

Harry swallowed hard before thinking for a few seconds. Once he had an idea, he let his hatred turn to passion that fueled his plan. He needed to get energy from somewhere. "They can't know that these guys have failed yet or at least that one confessed everything. I say we hit them hard now while we have the advantage of surprise. Turn any depressed or sad feelings to anger at the Elders for this and passion to see this through. Gather your weapons and meet me here when you're ready. Understood?"

As Harry spoke, everyone's faces grew more determined. "Yes, Harry!" All then disappeared except for one.

"You realize what you are doing right? You are going up against your own people essentially." Severus asked.

"They weren't 'my people' since they decided to betray us. Even then, they were always under Edward's control… But, I do know what I am doing." Harry replied.

"Good." Severus nodded. "I just wanted you to be ready for what is about to happen."

"Thanks, dad."

"No worries. Now I would change quickly before the others arrive." Severus replied. He already was wearing his.

Harry then used a combination of spells and his ring to change into his Orderian robes. It was already fully armed.

"By the way, dad…" Harry drifted off.

"Yeah?"

"Is the purpose of another one of the rings to give guidance when needed?" Harry asked.

"Kind of. It does that, but it also has a database of all of its former wearers' information. This allows you to ask it a question when you are uncertain." Severus answered.

"Ah. Good to know." Harry replied.

A few moments later, everyone started to arrive.

"Everyone ready?" Harry asked once everyone arrived. He received nods from everyone. "Transport room." The New Grey Orderians quickly disappeared without a sound as they apparated away. Behind them, they left a debris field. The house elves were pissed at such a mess.

A moment after they left the Potter grounds, they appeared at their destination. Blaise and Seamus dispatched the two guards on both of the group's sides with their lightsabers. Each was red. The group then moved as one into the hallway.

"The main target is the Elders' council chamber." Harry spoke before shooting three mercenaries with his assault rifle.

"Do we spare anyone?" Draco asked as they started walking along.

"Our teachers and Elders. I want to confront both before we kill them." Harry answered easily as if he was waiting to be asked that question. Everyone nodded his or her understanding.

"Alarm hasn't been sounded." Michael realized. "Why wouldn't they raise it?"

Daphne and Harry quickly looked around as they thought. "It might be a silent alarm." Daphne guessed.

"In which case, everyone is aware of our presence here and know that they stand a better chance together. The Elders would probably assign them in front of their chamber." Hermione developed.

"So do we just head over there and into their trap?" Neville asked.

"Or do we do some covert ops?" Draco asked hopefully.

Harry thought a moment. "We're heading for security." He then turned down a hall all of them were rarely in. He kicked in the door, and Daphne threw a knife in after it. You could hear the latter impact flesh and cause the mercenary to drop. "Susan."

The called girl grinned and was quickly able to operate all cameras in the compound. "What do you want?"

"Shut it all down with a very long start-up process to get it fully running again." Harry replied. Susan nodded and less than a minute later, it was done. "Now everyone, meld into the shadows and head straight for those traitors!" A second later, the shadows were racing along the walls, floors and ceiling.

As predicted, a group of about seventy-five mercenaries were spread out among the hall that led to the doors and were also in front of the doors. The Assassins didn't hesitate to come out of the shadows already firing or swinging their weapons. Automatically, twenty-five fell in surprise. It did not take long for the Assassins to fight their way to the door with their superior skills.

"That was easier than I personally expected to be honest." Draco stated.

"Well, that was all of the employed mercenaries… I think." Dean replied.

"It wasn't. There are still twenty-five mercenaries, our teachers, the Elders, and these two guards right here plus however many other guards there are behind the door." Harry dissuaded.

"Yes. We are still here to make you dead." The left guard said. Harry and Daphne shared a look before quickly drawing their swords. They crossed in front of each other so that Harry faced the less talkative one. They then walked cautiously up to their opponents who had also drawn their swords.

"I don't think so." Harry said before the four were engaged in a deadly dance of swords swinging, blocking, and stabbing with the holders' moving every part of their bodies to gain as much of an advantage as they could or to avoid an unfortunate cut. Finally, Harry and Daphne switched opponents by crossing over each other, stabbing at the other's old opponent. This change caused both guards to fail to block the swords, and the two fell to the ground dead.

"Took you long enough." Draco joked.

Harry ignored the man and spoke to Seamus and the Weasley twins. "Bring it down." The three had wicked grins on their faces as they stepped up to the door already pulling out different types of explosives.

"You might want to go into the other hall." George said as soon as they finished.

"No, go into the shadows. We'll be able to attack quickly after the explosives detonate." Harry ordered. A second later, all except for Fred did as Harry asked. Fred would swing around the corridor and detonate everything before he joined them.

"Here we go. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1." It seemed to everyone that the entire base shook from the force of the explosion. The New Assassins, though, ignored it and charged.

As expected, the doors were in pieces but surprisingly so were the mercenaries and guards as well. Their teachers and the Elders, though, had survived.

"Hello, traitors." Harry said as all of his people and Severus appeared behind him.

"What is the meaning of this, Harry?" Edward shouted.

"Oh, do not play coy with me!" Harry shouted back. "One of those mercenaries you sent to kill us today told us everything he knew about who recruited him and his buddies for the mission. He confirmed each of your names." Harry drew out his last sentence. "Now, I am going to allow you to speak for your actions before we kill you under the charge of treason to your own comrades. One of the vows each one of you swore when you joined the Order!"

"It is simple, Harry. We think we made an error when it came down to you and your New Order. We merely tried to correct our mistake by wiping all of you out to start again."

"Oh speak for yourself, Edward! You know I wanted no part of this! I tried telling you that you were actually wrong for once, but you were so caught up in your real reason to deceive the new members! You just want to live forever while being in charge of everyone and everything! You lost that good part of you, Ed! You are now all dark and no light!" Victor yelled.

"Like you have not profited off of everything we have done." Henry replied.

"I would give it all up in a second if it would do more good! I just thought I could dissuade you from your spiral into darkness!"

"You are wrong, Victor. You are the dark one among us. We are still a mix." Helen said calmly.

"You bloody motherfuckers! You are worse than Grindewald, Dumbledore, and Voldemort combined!"

"You have just sealed your fate, Victor." Evelyn replied.

"It is time you died." A sword appeared in Edward's left hand as he was speaking. He started swinging when he finished. Victor, though, was not in the mood to be cut to pieces so he apparated away and beside Harry.

"My friends! Kill the New Order and the traitors!" The teachers did not move, though, for they looked down sadly as Victor's words rung true in their heads.

"Fine! All of you will die!" Edward shouted again as all five of the Elders stood, lightsabers in their hands.

"Daphne, Draco, Neville, Hannah, you ready to kick the shit out of some fucking old ass?" Harry asked.

They nodded and drew their sabers.

"How fitting! The new council shall fall to the superior older one!" All of the New Order looked at Edward curiously. "Oh, you think we didn't know that you formed ranks? You should have known we know everything!"

"Then you would know all of you are about to die." Harry replied. The Elders surprisingly nimbly jumped over their stone table and landed on the floor. Hannah charged Helen, Neville charged Henry, and the other three charged Edward and Evelyn who decided to fight together. Each one kept up a huge but potentially fatal dance of movement of bodies and light. After a few minutes, Neville coming to Hannah's rescue with a quick throw into the woman's back killed Helen. With Hannah's help, they vanquished Henry.

Despite their friends' good fortune, Harry and Daphne seemed to be evenly matched with their opponents. Draco had been taken a harsh cut to the leg during the first few minutes and was rescued by his soul mate.

"Why will you not just accept your fate and die?" Edward shouted through his panting.

"Because we just don't die that easy." Daphne replied. Harry spun and dropped to the ground, kicking out Evelyn's legs. Daphne used her right saber to defend her fiancé and her left to finish off Edward's wife. As soon as she died, Edward backed away in shock. Harry rose to his feet and beckoned for Daphne to let him finish off the old man. She reluctantly nodded, gave him a kiss on the cheek for luck, and ran to see if she could help any of the others.

"You two were soul bonded weren't you?" Harry smirked, turning towards Edward. "How bad it must hurt to be the last traitor in your circle. Let me relieve you of that problem."

"Argh!" Edward decided to restart the fight.

Harry quickly disarmed the man's left saber by stepping to the side while using a quick cutting motion on the exposed part of the hilt. Unfortunately, it did not harm Edward in the slightest. Harry let his right lightsaber be absorbed back into his ring. He had a plan to eliminate Edward. Quickly the two locked in again, each using a two handed grip on their remaining weapon. Each saber was locked in the middle just as Harry wanted. Then Harry gave in a little bit but rolled off the blade of energy while turning in a circle. At the halfway point of the arc, he was directly behind Edward and jabbed his right elbow into his opponent's back. Harry quickly finished the spin and lunged his lightsaber forward into the just-elbowed back.

Harry withdrew his blade as Edward slipped off of it and face first onto the stone floor. Harry deactivated the lightsaber and absorbed the hilt into his ring.

"Out of all of the people in the world to turn on their own people, I never thought you would be one of them." Harry summoned a Beretta 92fs into his left hand, pointed it at Edward, and kicked the man's left side, causing him to tumble onto his back. Harry looked at Edward and saw that he was definitely dead. Despite that, though, he shot a bullet into the dead man's forehead.

"Is he dead?" Draco asked.

Harry's ring absorbed the pistol. "Yeah."

"What now that they are dead?" Justin asked wondrously.

"We decide their fate." Daphne replied. Everyone turned towards their teachers.

"I think that has a simple solution." Harry said. For every teacher, there was an Orderian who invaded their mind. A few seconds later, everyone had their answer.

"I can't believe they obliviated you guys." Draco shook his head.

"That explains why we never found out about the Elders' betrayal." Theodore added.

"I'm sorry, children. I believed that I could change their minds at least. I can understand if you wish to smite me down. I will happily take the blow to atone in the slightest way for that sin." Victor apologized.

Harry thought for a few moments. They were some of the longest in the man's long life. "I... forgive you, Victor. At least you joined us before it was too late. Besides, I highly doubt of our ability to run past operations without your experience. Be warned, though, if any of us hears that you took part in the slightest treachery against us from here on, you will not live long much after."

"I will not fail and disappoint you... any of you." Victor looked at everyone. An idea then struck Harry as he thought over the past few months.

"Dad, give me a moment to check something." Harry tried to calm his father before he entered Severus's mind. Thanks to his expertise in this area of magic, Harry was able to automatically find the locked part of Severus's mind that he needed to know the answer to his question. Inside this area he found that Severus had known about the betrayal from the Elders' trying to recruit them but had been obliviated like the others. The odd thing was, though, was that Severus had been able to weaken the barrier for some reason. Harry assumed it was due to the man' love for him. He then pulled out.

"Sorry, but I had to check." Harry apologized. Severus nodded.

"So what now?" Pansy asked.

Harry sighed and thought for a moment. "Collect all of your things and everything else in the base. Who knows if some more mercenaries will show up and attack? We'll return in a few days to start making this compound our own. Once you collect everything, meet up in the Transport Room. Victor, that includes you as well. If any of those mercenaries do show up, I don't know if they'll try to kill you as well."

Everyone nodded and spread out, including Harry. Once in the Transport Room, everyone apparated home. The next day, the people from yesterday's attempt at a wedding tried once more. Luckily, no mercenaries appeared and ruined everything. That excluded the prank after the actual ceremony where he was turned forcibly turned into the wedding cake. After the first cut, he had awoken from his paralyzation and screamed at the top of his lungs. Sirius had tumbled off of the table and landed hard on the floor. The ground then had ripped off his pants, and the victim was strung up in the air. Watching the entire thing, Severus, Anton, and Remus observed their handiwork. Iris looked at the three of them and mouthed the words 'thank you.' After all of the festivities, Harry and Daphne shadow traveled to an island property that Harry had secretly acquired through his associates at Gringotts. There, the two finally consummated and completed their soul bond.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry for the delay but I have been trying to edit my previous chapters to make them better for your enjoyment. Please review. I can only make things better or be more motivated to write if you do so. As always: ****_Occidere Prima Vel Occidi._**


	20. Fourth Year Pt 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, objects, words, or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's **_**Harry Potter**_** series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Speak'

"Regular Speak"

"_Communication Through the Mind, Communicator, or Parseltongue"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

_**The Grey Assassins**_

**Chapter 20**

"Welcome back, everyone. I hope that we can work together well, now that all of us are equals."

Harry nodded. "There is no need to be concerned, Victor. You proved yourself when it truly mattered. Now, may we move on with our meeting? There is not much time until we must arrive at the platform to Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Harry." Victor said with a slight amount of relief before growing serious as Edward once had. "This year, odd things are about. Along with the recent attempt of the others to exterminate you, Remus has been fired due to an anonymous tip that he was a werewolf."

Despite their normal infuriated or stoic expressions when in militaristic situations such as these, most of the Orderians gathered, excluding Tonks, gasped in shock. All of them thought he was the best Defense teacher the school ever had even if he still lacked compared to most of the world.

Victor waited a moment for them to gain back control before continuing. "Also, through various spies in the Ministry, we know that the Triwizard Tournament will be held this year at Hogwarts. This is most curious timing as it was discontinued centuries ago. If you are not aware of what the tournament is, it comprises of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and the Durmstrang Institute each putting forth a champion to compete in three tasks with each task testing the champions in a different way. Now, we have been made aware that only seventeen year olds may enter the tournament because of the dangers it presents toward the competitors. While you may think I am telling each of you this to just make you aware of the fact, I am in fact presenting you background for your next mission. Since the other two schools will be staying at Hogwarts, I think this will be a good opportunity to forge bonds with new members and obtain new members."

"Are you saying that the Grey Order doesn't just recruit from the UK?" Justin asked in shock.

"Are you that surprised, Justin? When we reveal ourselves and take over Britain, the rest of the world will be more than tempted to eliminate us. The members in other countries will buy us some time to gain a valuable foothold on the Isles and then help us take over the other countries as well." Harry explained.

"Oh, I see." Justin chuckled sheepishly.

"I took the liberty of getting the two leaders of the members from the schools here this morning so as not to bring about any confusion." Victor moved on before hitting a button the stone panel. While Harry, Daphne, Draco, Neville, and Hannah were now the leaders of the Order, they felt more comfortable where they had always been on the floor, and Victor had obtained the position of handeling the more trivial affairs to the Order, especially since the students were heading back to school that day.

Behind the Assassins, the two stone behemoths called doors opened up, letting in two figures dressed in the Assassin robes that they all wore. The odd thing was that one's robes seemed more elegant and the other one's seemed to be bulkier than the British Assassins' robes despite the fact that excluding size, all Assassin robves were identical.

Harry walked up to the two followed by his wife and the other five leaders. As the seven met, the two newcomers raised their hoods over their heads, showing their faces.

"Hello, Viktor. It has been a while." Harry shook the bulkier man's hand before turning to the young woman beside him. "As always, it is nice to see you as well, Fleur." Harry then took the blonde's hand and kissed the knuckles lightly.

"You are right, Harry, it has been too long. When did we last meet?" Viktor Krum smiled and tried remembering.

"When I needed a place to stay after that job in the Middle-East!" Harry remembered with a laugh. "I remember because I was so pissed that the Order was having trouble getting me out for a while!"

"Yeah, I remember being woken in the middle of the night at the Bulgarian base by one of the mercenaries saying there was a boy in the transport room!" Viktor joined in.

"I still remember how funny you looked when you came in dressed in plaid pajamas but without a shirt!" Harry chortled.

Viktor seemed to be offended by this and said, "You're one to talk! I wasn't the one who was completely soaked and looking for a place to stay like a stray dog!"

"Boys. I believe we can catch up later but for now there are others." Fleur reminded the two. Behind her, the Assassins stood looking slightly annoyed, curious, and/or baffled.

"Sorry, everyone." Harry cleared his throat for a moment before pointing to each person as he introduced them. "This is Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons in France, and this is Viktor Krum from the Durmstrang Institute." Both of the two mentioned nodded their heads.

Daphne then walked forward. "Daphen Greengrass, Harry's wife, soul mate, and second-in-command."

"You got married?" Viktor shoute din surprise towards Harry while Fleur seemed annoyed.

Daphne noticed this and replied to Fleur's unasked question. "We are in a soul bond." Fleur nodded her understanding, letting some tension be relieved.

Harry then hugged his wife close to his shoulder with her embracing him closely as well. "Yes, I did, and I must say that I got married to best witch in all of history." Harry looked at Daphne not even needing to have the soul bond to let her know how deeply her loved her.

"How long?" Fleur asked curiously.

"Since August the fourth." Harry replied proudly.

Draco loudly cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but I think that we should hurry this up. We don't have long until we are due to arrive at the platform."

Harry nodded. "Sorry. That was Draco Malfoy, my thrird-in-command."

The others then walked up to the two seventeen year olds and introduced themselves. Five minutes later, everyone knew all of the others by name.

"Well… unless there is anything any of you would like to say, I think that's it." Victor said.

Everyone looked at each other.

"See you at Hogwarts." Harry surmised.

"I've heard worse." Victor shrugged. "Now get going, we have a busy year ahead, and I doubt that any of you would wish to rouse any suspicion by being late."

Everyone nodded before shadow traveling to the Transport Room. From there, everyone, excluding the two foreign Assassins, apparated into the bathrooms inside the station that housed Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Each exited the rooms with precise timing for they easily joined back up with their families, unnoticed by the public. From there, the families grouped into two major factions to indicate whether they were seen as light or dark families. The dark families arrived at the barrier first with the adults traveling through before the teens. Harry, carefully observing the surrounding area, went through last while walking backwards. The parents and siblings then bade the Assassins farewell before departing through the floos. They were inoperable from the outside until later, forcing many purebloods to travel like the muggles onto the platform. As they departed, Harry led the others onto the train and back to their compartment.

"Ah. Another year with problems. I love it." Draco sighed, leaning back into the sofa.

The others nodded their agreement. While they had been trained to remain patient for long periods of time without any kind of action, all of them loved the idea that their lives would not be so boring and ordinary anymore despite the fact that the only change was management and the presence of two other schools.

A few seconds later, the other Assassins began joining their friends in the compartment.

"Cards?" Seamus asked, already reaching for the deck in his right pocket.

"I think Harry wants to do something else… involving Daphne." Theodore teased. Beside Harry, the males in the compartmnet bellowed so loudly that Harry feared he should have put up stronger soundproffing charms. It seemed to the others, though, that the words had no effect on the newly wedded couple for neither had even a wick of red on their cheeks. On the inside, though, Daphne and Daphne were beet red, remembering their week on the island paradise.

Finally, Daphne had enough with the teens' laughter. Part of the reason the girls had not laughed was that they knew what would become of the boys' actions. "Harry still has gotten the most action out of any of you! Besides, I highly doubt that most of you will even get a girlfriend by seventh year!"

That shut the males up, but their pain was not about to end their. Daphne was after all, the wife of a marauder. With a slight wave of her hand, the boys' underwear bolted straight into the air before coming over the owners' heads.

"Not bad." Harry tilted his head as if trying to look at his wife's handiwork from a different angle to absorb the picture better. "But it is still missing something. Ah! I know!" Harry snapped his fingers, making permanent markers appear in front of his friends' uncovered faces. Each then drew a different design that made the teens look like they were wearing glasses and had mustaches and goatees.

Daphne nodded her approval. "Nice touch."

"I thought so."

"Would you mind getting this shot off of us?" Justin complained. Seamus, Blaise, and Anthony all grimaced and braced themselves for whatever might come. They knew Harry well enough to know that he would get everything off of them but in as painful a way as he could to further punish them.

"Here we go." The three grimaced further as they saw Harry smirk.

Harry snapped his fingers once more, forcing the boys' underwear to pull up so high that it tore, removing the wedgies. Then, Harry concentrated on his surroundings before using his water elemental abilities to pull out the mositure of the air and concentrate it into a large cylinder-like form. He then, using his hands, directed the water into each one of the boys' faces, rubbing it roughly and quickly around their heads to clean off the ink. When Harry's work was done, he allowed the water to become moisture in the air once more.

Everyone looked at Harry oddly at this new power he seemed to have. "I worked on my water magic since we killed the traitors," Harry paused moment, the compartment silent. "So, cards?"

"I'm fine with it." Seamus grinned, taking out his deck.

"I'll deal." Seamus handed Blaise the deck. The teen then began dealing to all of the people in the compartment. When Blaise noticed that they needed more cards, he removed his deck and continued dealing.

A few hours later, Harry stood up. He then used his magic and ring to dress in his Hogwarts robes. "We'll be arriving soon." The girls nodded and quickly departed for the dressing rooms while the boys dressed inside the compartment even faster. Nobody noticed that Harry had set a fairly large box on the table. When the boys finished dressing and sat down, Harry could see their restrained curiosity on his friends' faces. They knew that whatever Harry had planned he would let them know when it was time to. A few seconds later, the girls came back to the table in a flock. Curious as the boys, they sat down.

"I'm glad to see that all of you noticed the box. I would have been rather disappointed if you hadn't." Harry paused to smile. He then opened the lid of the object, revealing its contents. "After the events with the Elders, I was able to find these rings. Apparently, you should get these later, but I think some traditions were meant to be broken." Harry then passed the box over to the right.

Looking inside, Daphne saw many groups of three rings. All of them were an ordinary shade of gray but radiated with power. Like Harry had two months ago, she outfitted each ring on her left hand. Once the last ring was in place she passed the box along, continuing the counterclockwise movement. After a few minutes, the now empty box arrived in front of Harry once more. Everyone now had three dull gray rings on their left hand. Harry let his ring absorb the box, making it disappear from the surface of the table.

"I want everyone here to load their rings with all of their primary weapons and survival supplies. Just concentrate on what you want to be absorbed, and the ring will handle the rest. To remove an object the first time, touch the glowing ring. It will then guide you. After that, you can completely use it with your mind." Harry informed his closest friends.

"What about the other two?" Michael asked, his inner Ravenclaw coming out.

"One will give you knowledge from past wearers of the ring, but can only be activated when needed the first time. The last one's purpose I have not discovered. I assume it will come into play when needed." Everyone nodded his or her understanding.

Suddenly, the rings must have known of the need to be used later as one ring on everyone's finger, excluding Harry's, glowed and absorbed the owner's cards that had been left out after their last game. Each person looked at the others curiously before following Harry's instructions. A second later, the cards reappeared.

"That is going to come in handy." Blaise grinned devilishly.

Seamus nodded his head. "As much as that was interesting, if I see any of you take a single card from my deck again or cheat by adding more cards, I will kick the shite out of you."

"Calm down, Seamus, you know we're not like that." Tracey rolled her eyes.

Seamus chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Anyone up for another game?" Blaise asked, saving his mate.

A few minutes later, everyone felt the train start to slow down. Seamus and Blaise quickly collected their decks and were finished by the train stopped. Quickly, the Assassins got up and enlarged their ordinary luggage before placing it in a growing pile on the platform. A few minutes later, everyone was back inside the Great Hall once more.

"Here we go again, huh?" Harry chuckled to Daphne quietly as they sat down. Despite the common look of freshly soaked clothes caused by the ongoing gale outside, the Assassins did not look any worse for wear. In fact, all of them were perfectly dry due to charms that were always present around their bodies.

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the doors of the Great Hall opened and silence fell. Professor McGonagall was leading a long line of first years up to the top of the Hall. If Harry, Ron, and Hermione were wet, it was nothing to how these first years looked. They appeared to have swum across the lake rather than sailed. All of them were shivering with a combination of cold and nerves as they filed along the staff table and came to a halt in a line facing the rest of the school - all of them except the smallest of the lot, a boy with mousy hair, who was wrapped in what Harry recognized as Hagrid's moleskin overcoat. The coat was so big for him that it hooked as though he were draped in a furry black circus tent. His small face protruded from over the collar, looking almost painfully excited. When he had lined up with his terrified-looking peers, he caught Colin Creevey's eye, gave a double thumbs-up, and mouthed, I fell in the lake! He looked positively delighted about it.

Professor McGonagall now placed a three-legged stool on the ground before the first years and, on top of it, an extremely old, dirty-patched wizard's hat. The first years stared at it. So did everyone else. For a moment, there was silence. Then a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat broke into song:

A thousand years or more ago,

When I was newly sewn,

There lived four wizards of renown,

Whose names are still well known:

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,

Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,

Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,

Shrewd Slytherin, from fin.

They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,

They hatched a daring plan

To educate young sorcerers

Thus Hogwarts School began.

Now each of these four founders

Formed their own house, for each

Did value different virtues

In the ones they had to teach.

By Gryffindor, the bravest were

Prized far beyond the rest;

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest

Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were

Most worthy of admission;

And power-hungry Slytherin

Loved those of great ambition.

While still alive they did divide

Their favorites from the throng,

Yet how to pick the worthy ones

When they were dead and gone?

'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,

He whipped me off his head

The founders put some brains in me

So I could choose instead!

Now slip me snug about your ears,

I've never yet been wrong,

I'll have a look inside your mind

And tell where you belong!

The Great Hall rang with applause as the Sorting Hat finished.

Professor McGonagall was now unrolling a large scroll of parchment.

"When I call out your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool," she told the first years. "When the hat announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table.

"Ackerley, Stewart!"

A boy walked forward, visibly trembling from head to foot, picked up the Sorting Hat, put it on, and sat down on the stool.

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.

Stewart Ackerley took off the hat and hurried into a seat at the Ravenclaw table, where everyone was applauding him.

"Baddock, Malcolm!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The table on the other side of the hall erupted with cheers.

"Branstone, Eleanor!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Cauldwell, Owen!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Creevey, Dennis!"

Tiny Dennis Creevey staggered forward, tripping over Hagrid's moleskin, just as Hagrid himself sidled into the Hall through a door behind the teachers' table. About twice as tall as a normal man, and at least three times as broad, Hagrid, with his long, wild, tangled black hair and beard, looked slightly alarming – a misleading impression, for the Assassins knew Hagrid to possess a very kind nature. Everyone watched Dennis Creevey putting on the Sorting Hat. The rip at the brim opened wide- -

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted.

Hagrid clapped along with the Gryffindors as Dennis Creevey, beaming widely, took off the hat, placed it back on the stool, and hurried over to join his brother.

"Colin, I fell in!" he said shrilly, throwing himself into an empty seat. "It was brilliant! And something in the water grabbed me and pushed me back in the boat!"

"Cool!" said Colin, just as excitedly. "It was probably the giant squid, Dennis!"

"Wow!" said Dennis, as though nobody in their wildest dreams could hope for more than being thrown into a storm-tossed, fathoms-deep lake, and pushed out of it again by a giant sea monster.

"Dennis! Dennis! See that boy down there? The one with the black hair and the scar? See him? Know who he is, Dennis?"

Harry looked away, staring very hard at the Sorting Hat, now Sorting Emma Dobbs.

The Sorting continued; boys and girls with varying degrees of fright on their faces moving one by one to the three-legged stool, the line dwindling slowly as Professor McGonagall passed the L's.

"Oh hurry up," Ronald moaned, massaging his stomach. The Assassins at the Gryffindor table shook their heads.

"Now, Ron, the Sorting's much more important than food," said Nearly Headless Nick as "Madley, Laura!" became a Hufflepuff.

"Course it is, if you're dead," snapped Ron.

"I do hope this year's batch of Gryffindors are up to scratch," said Nearly Headless Nick, applauding as "McDonald, Natalie!" joined the Gryffindor table. "We don't want to break our winning streak, do we?"

Gryffindor had won the Inter-House Championship for the last three years in a row.

"Pritchard, Graham!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Quirke, Orla!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

And finally, with "Whitby, Kevin!" ("HUFFLEPUFF!"), the Sorting ended. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and the stool and carried them away.

"About time," said Ron, seizing his knife and fork and looking expectantly at his golden plate.

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling around at the students, his arms opened wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, his deep voice echoing around the Hall. "Tuck in."

The rain was still drumming heavily against the high, dark glass. Another clap of thunder shook the windows, and the stormy ceiling flashed, illuminating the golden plates as the remains of the first course vanished and were replaced, instantly, with puddings.

When the puddings too had been demolished, and the last crumbs had faded off the plates, leaving them sparkling clean, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet again. The buzz of chatter filling the Hall ceased almost at once, so that only the howling wind and pounding rain could be heard.

"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. He continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year." Many of the quidditch players throughout the Hall stared open-mouthed at Dumbledore, appalled at this latest announcement. Dumbledore went on, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall swiveled toward the stranger, suddenly brightly illuminated by a fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling.

He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled, dark gray hair, and then began to walk up toward the teachers' table. A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling. The entire hall except the Assassins gasped. Not that anyone would have noticed for everyone was too focused on the man.

The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief, and it was one Harry recognized. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like, and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him frightening.

One of them was small, dark, and beady. The other was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down, and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye - and then it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.

The man reached Dumbledore. He stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbledore shook it, muttering words Harry didn't care to hear. Dumbledore nodded at the end of their small conversation and gestured the man to the empty seat on his right-hand side.

The man sat down, shook his mane of dark gray hair out of his face, pulled a plate of sausages toward him, raised it to what was left of his nose, and sniffed it. He then took a small knife out of his pocket, speared a sausage on the end of it, and began to eat. His normal eye was fixed upon the sausages, but the blue eye was still darting restlessly around in its socket, taking in the Hall and the students.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. "Professor Moody."

It was usual for new staff members to be greeted with applause, but none of the staff or students chapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid, who both put their hands together and applauded, but the sound echoed dismally into the silence, and they stopped fairly quickly. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him.

"What is he doing here?" Harry asked no one in particular. The Assassins in his year looked at Harry quizzically. "Old auror for Ministry. He's one of the few hardcore one's left that aren't political kind of guys."

"Kind of like us?" Seamus asked almost silently.

Harry nodded.

Moody seemed totally indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he reached again into his traveling cloak, pulled out a hip flask, and took a long draught from it. Harry thought this odd, as he knew that the man would easily accept pumpkin juice. He knew this because this kind of information was necessary for a poisoning. As Moody lifted his arm to drink, his cloak was pulled a few inches from the ground, and Harry saw, below the table, several inches of carved wooden leg, ending in a clawed foot.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying," he said, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly, knowing exactly what he was doing.

The tension that had filled the Hall ever since Moody's arrival suddenly broke. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er - but maybe this is not the time… no.," said Dumbledore, "Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament . . . Well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely.

"The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities - until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

Many of the students in the Great Hall began whispering excitedly. The Assassins rolled their eyes.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

At every House table, Harry could see people either gazing raptly at Dumbledore, or else whispering fervently to their neighbors. But then Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This" - Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly appearing to look furious to keep up their disguise - "is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred and George's mutinous faces. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.

"The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Mad-Eye Moody. There was a great scraping and banging as all the students got to their feet and swarmed toward the double doors into the entrance hall.

All of the New Assassins still present at Hogwarts followed the crowd, excluding Harry and Daphne who went back to their suite and Astoria and Draco did the same, traveled back to their common rooms before entering their dormitories. Draco and Astoria now had their own suite in the dungeons. Slytherins were always safer there.

As soon as the two arrived, Harry and Daphne began unpacking. They started with their familiars' beds and finished by refitting their Orderian robes and weapons in their secret slots in the walls. After Harry closed the last rack, Zeus slithered out of Harry's right sleeve, and Umbra jumped out of Harry's left palm. The cobra had no need to bid the others good night as he slithered over to its pillow, for he had done so through the bond the six of them shared. After each undressed and in Daphne's case dressed, for Harry slept in his boxers and Daphne wore a nightgown, the both of them crawled under the linens to lie side by side. Umbra gracefully hopped onto the bed, resting at their feet. A few moments later, the occupants of the room were asleep.

The next morning, the beings inside the room slowly woke at their accustomed time of six a.m. Harry slipped out from the sheets and went into their living room to try and make some coffee. Over the summer he found that he rather liked the caffeine drink. After looking around once he shook his head with a chuckle.

"You know we don't have a kitchen right? We're not back at Potter Manor!" Daphne called from the bathroom.

"I'll talk to McGonagall to see if we could add a kitchen!" Harry yelled to be heard as he walked back into the bedroom to dress in his workout clothes. After trading places with Daphne once he was dressed to further prepare for the day. The two then walked into the living room together to feed Umbra and Zeus. Rex and Regina would be fed inside the Chamber.

Zeus and Umbra quickly jumped into Harry's skin before the couple left their suite and joined the shadows, traveling down far below Hogwarts until they ended up in the training room. There, the others waited patiently.

The only acknowledgement Harry and Daphne received was a nod of the head from the others before they proceeded to run out into the tunnel system, where they navigated around ten times until they arrived back at the training room. There, they each removed a .357 Magnum from a case and fired down at his of her own dummy. After each fired six rounds, depleting the ammunition inside the gun, they traded their pistols for a variety of semi-automatic rifle, where they emptied the clip as they had had done before. Their next weapon was a group of five throwing stars. As soon as the last star impacted the last dummy in the head, everyone pulled their right wand at his/her target.

"Kill." Harry ordered before many vicious spells launched out of each wand in what appeared to be a random series. In actuality, each combination of spells had a different way of 'killing' the dummies.

"Good work." Harry congratulated. "Now, let's go get changed and have some breakfast!" He smiled at the thought of coffee.

"Coffee?" Draco grinned as everyone began traveling to the showers.

"Yeah." Harry nodded.

"You would walk into a trap if they used coffee as bait, wouldn't you?" Padma joked.

"Gladly." Harry smiled. "And I would not spill a drop as I killed the trappers."

Daphne rolled her eyes.

They then arrived at the showers. The showers consisted of two rooms, one for boys and the other for girls, where three walled cubicles were closed off by a plastic curtain. On the wall opposite the curtain, the showerhead rested six feet up the wall.

A few minutes later, the Assassins emerged from the rooms in towels. The boys then proceeded to the room next door to their shower room, and the girls did the same with another room. These were the changing rooms and held lockers that contained one of each person's school robes and regular clothes.

After they were dressed, each shadow traveled right outside the Great Hall. They emerged silently from small alcoves unnoticed for they were the only ones out of their rooms at the moment. Each then traveled to their house table, where they began consuming their breakfasts.

Harry finished faster than the others to see if he could find McGonagall. Oddly enough, a few seconds after beginning to search for his head of house, said teacher walked into the Great Hall. She walked up to Harry and his friends and began passing out their schedules for the year.

Harry quickly looked to see what they had today before walking up to the Scottish witch.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter? What can I do for you?" McGonagall asked in her usual, stern voice. They had to beware of eavesdroppers.

"Is it all possible to add a kitchen in our suite?" McGonagall gave the fourteen year old an expecting look. "I've grown rather fond of coffee over summer and I have noticed that you don't serve it here. I already have my own maker."

"I'm sorry, Potter, but you'll just have to wait until you own the castle." To the ordinary wizard or witch observing, they would have found this statement as a bad attempt at humor, but to Harry, it meant that he couldn't due to the suspicion it would raise.

"All right, professor. Thanks for your time." Harry turned and walked back to his seat.

"No luck, eh?" Neville asked.

"Afraid not." Harry sighed.

"I still don't get why you like it so much. It's just a drink." Dean said.

"Until you have it, you probably never will." Harry replied.

"I'm game for it." Seamus offered. "Give me a cup, and I'll give it a shot."

"Unfortunately, it probably won't be until Yule break." Neville said.

Harry suddenly grinned. "I think I can get some sooner."

"How?" Dean asked, but Seamus already had an idea of what Harry would say.

"We've already smuggled all kinds of things in here; I think I can manage to get some coffee."

The rest of the day then turned out with Harry being quite distracted from dreams of coffee. Not that it mattered since he might as well be a college graduate in primary school. The next two days also passed without event except for Harry and Daphne occasionally sneaking off for some alone time despite what their friends thought they were doing.

Thursday, though, became an interesting day as after lunch, the Fourth Year Gryffindors had their first class with Moody.

It had all started as Moody showed that he liked a more practical approach to teaching.

"You can put those away," he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down, "those books. You won't need them."

The class quickly obeyed. Harry noticed that Ronald actually looking excited about a class for once.

Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as he or she answered.

"Right then," he said, when the last person had declared themselves present, "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures - you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"

There was a general murmur of assent. "But you're behind - very behind - on dealing with curses," said Moody. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark -"

"What, aren't you staying?" Ronald blurted out.

Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ronald; Ronald looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Moody smiled - the first time Harry had seen him do so. The effect was to make his heavily scarred face look more twisted and contorted than ever, but it was nevertheless good to know that he ever did anything as friendly as smile. Harry knew that after some time being a fighter you needed to not be very careful all of the time. Ronald, meanwhile, looked deeply relieved.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody said. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago... Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore… One year, and then back to my quiet retirement."

He gave a harsh laugh, and then clapped his gnarled hands together.

"So - straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter curses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."

Lavender jumped and blushed. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk. Apparently Moody's magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head.

"So… do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?"

Several hands rose into the air, including each of fourth year Gryffindor Assassins. Surprisingly, Ronald's hand rose as well. Moody pointed at Ronald, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender.

"Er," said Ronald tentatively, "my dad told me about one… Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse."

Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it. The Assassins noted that Ronald recoiled at the sight of the creatures. They figured he had arachnophobia.

Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio!"

The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, and then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance.

Everyone was laughing - everyone except Moody and the Assassins.

"Think it's funny, do you?" he growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The laughter died away almost instantly.

"Total control," said Moody quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats…"

Ronald gave an involuntary shudder, further confirming the Assassins' suspicions.

"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," said Moody, and Harry knew he was talking about the days in which Voldemort had been all-powerful. "Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will.

"The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he barked, and everyone jumped. The Assassins did so to avoid any suspicions from Moody.

Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar.

"Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"

All of the Assassins raised their hands into the air.

"Yes?" said Moody, his magical eye rolling right over to fix on Neville.

"There's one - the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville in a distinct voice.

Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes.

"Your name's Longbottom?" he said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again.

Neville nodded with no hesitation, and Moody made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached into the jar for the next spider and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move.

"The Cruciatus Curse," said Moody. "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea," he said, pointing his wand at the spider. "Engorgio!"

The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretenses, Ronald pushed his chair backward, as far away from Moody's desk as possible.

Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, "Crucio!"

At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently - "Stop it!" Lavender said shrilly."

Harry used this opportunity of distraction to check on Neville. The boy had shared what happened to his parents with him and the others. Despite the fact that his knuckles were turning white from the amount of force Neville was putting into his fist, he seemed only angry, not scared.

Moody seemed to notice this as well and appeared to be quite surprise, but there was something else about his expression that struck him as odd. Moody's face seemed to be almost… disappointed. As much as Harry wished it not so, he could not deny Moody's reaction. He decided that he would watch the ex-auror carefully and look out for any other oddities.

Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch.

"Reducio," Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its proper size. He put it back into the jar.

"Pain," said Moody softly. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse… That one was very popular once too.

"Right… anyone know any others?"

The Assassins, excluding Neville, sighed before raising their hands. It did not take a genius to figure out what would happen to the last spider, but looking around, Harry was surprised to see that, besides the Orderians in the room, everyone seemed to be wondering what would happen.

'They have no clue what is about to happen. They have no idea that they are about to see death firsthand.' Harry sighed mentally. 'Fucking Ministry of Magic keeping everyone ignorant.'

"Yes?" Moody said, looking at Harry.

"The Killing Curse." Harry grimaced.

Several people looked uneasily around at him, excluding his friends. They slightly grimaced. They were no strangers to the curse due to their education, but they had never performed it themselves. They had used many other 'dark' curses but not this one.

"Ah," said Moody, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. "Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra… the Killing Curse."

He put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody's fingers, but he trapped it, and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface.

Moody raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" Moody roared.

There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air - instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ronald had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him.

Moody swept the dead spider off the desk onto the floor.

"Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no counter curse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me."

Harry looked up at Moody almost accusingly. He never liked that he was famous for something he couldn't control. Moody's eyes (both of them) stared back. Harry could feel everyone else looking at him as well.

"Avada Kedavra is a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it.

"Now, if there's no counter curse, why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared, and the whole class jumped again.

"Now… those three curses - Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus - are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills… copy this down…"

They spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. No one spoke until the bell rang - but when Moody had dismissed them and they had left the classroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices - "Did you see it twitch?" "- and when he killed it – just like that!"

They were talking about the lesson, Harry thought, as though it had been some sort of spectacular show, but he hadn't found it very entertaining - and nor, it seemed, did his fellow Assassins.

"You okay, Neville?" Harry asked as they walked down the corridors.

"Yeah… it was just so…" Neville trailed off.

"I understand. I can scarcely imagine how that must have been for you." Harry said sympathetically.

"The thing is… as I watched the lesson, I actually grew angry at not just Bellatrix but at all Death Eaters who used that curse. I don't see any good side to it."

Harry thought for a moment. "I have seen it used myself." Everyone looked at Harry curiously. "It was my last lesson in interrogations. My teacher had this one person who he despised for being a cruel person. Any crime you can think of he did. He said that the Cruciatus could be used as a last case scenario with the worst kind of people to make them talk. He then demonstrated the curse for me to see."

"Did you…?" Hermione trailed off.

"No. The teacher only wanted me to know about it well but not actually use it. He said, 'Unfortunately, you'll have many opportunities to try out the curse yourself." Harry replied.

"Let's go to dinner. That's the only thing left for today." Seamus joked at the end to lighten the mood. The other Gryffindors began to proceed over to the Great Hall, but Harry was still standing still in thought.

"What is it?" Daphne asked.

"We're having a meeting tonight." Harry walked up to his friends and began leading them through the corridors. "Neville, signal our people in Hufflepuff, and notify them to pass on the message."

"What time?"

"Right after curfew. Tell them to wear something to practice magic in." Harry replied.

A few hours later, many shadows emerged from all over the castle before reaching the training room inside the Chamber of Secrets.

"Hello, everyone. I trust everyone had Defense with Moody today if you are in fourth year?" Harry asked. All fourth years nodded. "Good. Astoria, Fred, George, if you didn't know, Moody decided to show us the Unforgivable Curses today in class by using them on three spiders."

The twins looked at each other with the same reaction their fellow Assassins had earlier that day. Astoria had the same expression on her face but didn't look at anyone in particular.

"With Moody doing this, I think that now is as good a time as any to learn how to actually cast them." Everyone looked at Harry as if he was insane. "As much as we do good deeds, everyone here has to remember that we are gray: as in we use both sides magic to make ourselves stronger. We, though, use it for good, so we are balanced. This means we aren't as easily turned bad as dark users but can use the dark's magic unlike light users. This is a concept every Assassin has to come to peace with at some point in the beginning of their… careers."

A sense of understanding fell down upon the group.

"I'll start with the Imperius Curse as Moody did." Harry turned around, so he headed the group and was facing the same way as them. "I won't actually perform the curses as there are no creatures here to demonstrated on, and if there were any, all would probably be innocent. You don't harm the innocent on purpose."

"First, I want you to draw your wands. Then, imagine a being in front of you to control. Do not actually use someone here, and make sure that your person is not in front of anyone real. Now, point your wand at the fake person and simply say with conviction, 'Imperio.' He or she will then do as you want with just a thought. If you wish to move someone, you should direct your wand to the according spot. Even after you stop the curse, someone may still carry out your orders if the order isn't canceled or if you give an order that can still be continued without cancellation." Harry instructed. "To stop the curse you merely think for it to."

Daphne looked around at her fellow members. "We got it."

"The next requires faith. The Cruciatus Curse only has two commands: start and stop, but the more determined to hurt someone you are, the harder the curse affects your target. Like the Imperius Curse, thinking of it to stop halts it, and you only need to say one word while pointing your wand at your target. The spell is Crucio." Harry said the last statement softly. He didn't wait to see if everyone understood. It wasn't that he didn't care; he knew that everyone could easily follow his instructions. If anything, he might be babying his fellow members with such precise instructions. Also, the Cruciatus could be considered his least favorite 'dark' curse.

"Finally is the Killing Curse. While I am sure many of you have been told that it is the darkest curse known in the wizarding world, it is actually more like a gun. It can be used to kill evil or quickly put a person out o their misery. Either way, it is more humane and kind than the Cruciatus. I believe everyone here will find it more pleasant than most would think." Harry said.

"It is the same as the other two when it comes to wand movement, but it has no abort. Once you send it, unless you miss, you are going to kill someone or something." Harry instructed. "Like the Cruciatus, it does take will. You have to want to kill the creature or person. Consider it the spell's safety feature. You'll know you performed the spell right when there is a bright green light exiting your wand."

"Could we do it without looking at someone?" Terry asked curiously.

Harry turned to look at the Ravenclaw. Everyone noticed that his brows were furrowed. "I don't know. I suppose nobody has ever tried." Harry then quickly turned back around and shouted, _'Avada Kedavra!' _A green light quickly emerged from Harry's opened palm and rocketed forward. Less than two seconds later, the spell impacted the side of the pipe they were in, leaving a burn mark.

"Hm. I guess you can." Harry said. "No practice tonight, though. That's the end of the lesson for now. When you have free time over the next few days, venture into the Forest and target plants to demonstrate the curses. If you wish, you may also use it against smaller insects. I would rather have you prepared and be part of the circle known as life and death than be killed for a failing attempt at one of these."

Everyone nodded before shadow traveling away.

Over the next few weeks, the Assassins had done as Harry instructed and had met with him a few times to ensure they knew what they were doing. Harry knew that he had less of a reason to be concerned about his friends when they went on missions or if they ever entered a battle. The only other notable fact during these weeks was that Moody put all of his fourth year classes under the Imperius Curse. Harry had intentionally not taught his fellow members how to counteract it so as not to arouse any suspicion, and he could not easily explain how to do so. After the class, however, Harry knew that his friends were getting to be the toughest warriors on the planet even at their age. Each of them had broken through the curse after at least one failure with the most being three.

A few more weeks afterwards on the twenty-third of October, a sign was erected at the foot of the marble staircase.

It read:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY. STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS AND BOOKS TO THEIR DORMITORIES AND ASSEMBLE IN FRONT OF THE CASTLE TO GREET OUR GUESTS BEFORE THE WELCOMING FEAST.

"Only a week until we see some new friends and members." Ernie whispered amongst the other fourth year Assassins.

Harry nodded. "When our friends arrive, we'll meet them in the Chamber the next day after the champions are selected."

During the week, the school managed to do one thing that made Harry happy without meaning to. It underwent a very thorough cleaning, making Harry's castle be even more magnificent than he thought it was before. He had always taken pride in it despite not many knowing of his ownership of it. While the castle was cleaned, its student occupants were less focused on their work and more on the upcoming tournament that was soon to come to their halls. Rumors flew about as birds did except more erratically and quickly.

At breakfast on the thirtieth, Harry took a moment to feel even prouder as silk banners hung above each house table with the appropriate colors and symbol. Above the teachers' was one as well that was the biggest by far and had the Hogwarts coat of arms.

As soon as the last class of the day was finished, swarms of students rushed out of the classrooms and headed for their dormitories or in the soul bonded couple's cases, their suites. There, they quickly deposited their books and pulled on their cloaks. As soon as this was done, all of the students rushed downstairs or upstairs and into the Entrance Hall. There their heads of houses formed them into lines with the younger years in front.

They then filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry, standing between Daphne and Neville in the fourth row from the front, saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years.

After a few minutes of silence, someone finally spoke.

Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers - "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

The Assassins were the first ones to spot the gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house being pulled by a dozen palomino, elephant-sized, winged horses.

The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

As soon as the door swung open, a boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage - a shoe the size of a child's sled - followed, almost immediately, by one largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped.

As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face; large, black, liquid-looking eyes; and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman.

Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dort," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

Most students were then drawn to the first time into the carriage, where a dozen boys and girls in their late teens were shivering due to the silk material of their clothing.

"As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore. "Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong…"

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"

"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing.

"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps.

Everyone stood, shivering slightly now, waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky.

For a few minutes, only Madame Maxime's huge horses snorting and stamping broke the silence. But then the Assassins heard an eerie noise that had to be louder.

Then everyone else began hearing it. A few seconds later, the Hogwarts students forgot about the cold.

From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had a clear view of the smooth black surface of the water - except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks - and then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor. .

What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool… and then the Orderians saw the rigging and knew that this was in fact a large sailing vessel.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, most noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle... but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, the students saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own. "Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good… Viktor, come along, into the warmth… you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students.

As Viktor Krum walked forward, Harry let snicker appear on his face, knowing that Viktor, being an Assassin, would notice.

Viktor did, in fact, see and gave his old friend a glare. Harry smirked.

The Hogwarts students then filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang.

As they re-crossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, Harry saw Lee Jordan jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head. Several sixth-year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked - "Oh I don't believe it, I haven't got a single quill on me -"

"D'you think he'd sign my hat in lipstick?"

'_I am _so _making him pay for this.' _Harry internally smirked.

The students then sat down at their tables and waited for the next events to pass.

The Assassins had quickly noted where the new students were. Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students were still gathered around the doorway, apparently unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads.

Finally the former had finally found a place to sit. Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students had settled themselves at the Slytherin table.

When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared quite unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

One of the Beauxbatons girls still clutching a muffler around her head gave what was unmistakably a derisive laugh.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

He sat down, and Harry saw Karkaroff lean forward at once and engage him in conversation.

The plates in front of them filled with food as usual. The house-elves in the kitchen seemed to have pulled out all the stops; there was a greater variety of dishes in front of them than Harry had rarely seen in one place.

The Great Hall seemed somehow much more crowded than usual, even though there were barely twenty additional students there; perhaps it was because their differently colored uniforms stood out so clearly against the black of the Hogwarts' robes. Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep blood red.

Hagrid sidled into the Hall through a door behind the staff table twenty minutes after the start of the feast. He slid into his seat at the end.

A few minutes later, two more people entered the hall.

Ludo Bagman was now sitting on Professor Karkaroff's other side, while Mr. Crouch, Percy's boss, was next to Madame Maxime.

"Guess they're in charge of the tournament." Hermione shrugged.

When the second course arrived, they noticed a number of unfamiliar desserts too.

Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket. Just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemus Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation" - there was a smattering of polite applause - "and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a much louder round of applause for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps because of his fame as a Beater, or simply because he looked so much more likable. He acknowledged it with a jovial wave of his hand. Bartemus Crouch did not smile or wave when his name was announced. His toothbrush mustache and severe parting looked very odd next to Dumbledore's long white hair and beard.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

At the mention of the word "champions," the attentiveness of the listening students seemed to sharpen. Perhaps Dumbledore had noticed their sudden stillness, for he smiled as he said, "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch, who had been lurking unnoticed in a far corner of the Hall, now approached Dumbledore carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It looked extremely old. A murmur of excited interest rose from the watching students; Dennis Creevey actually stood on his chair to see it properly, but, being so tiny, his head hardly rose above anyone else's.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore as Filch placed the chest carefully on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At this last word, the Hall was filled with a silence so absolute that nobody seemed to be breathing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.

Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the Hall.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," said Dumbledore, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once the Goblet of Fire has selected a champion, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

All of the students then began flooding out of the Great Hall. Hogwarts students went to their dormitories or marriage suites, Beauxbatons went back to their carriage, and Durmstrang students marched back over to their ship.

The next day after training, the Assassins ran into some of the students from Durmstrang as they entered the Great Hall.

"Hello, Harry." Viktor welcomed. Besides the Assassins and the other Durmstrang students, the Great Hall was void of any people.

"Careful, Viktor. This castle belongs to another." Harry hinted.

"No worries. I just wished for you to know that six behind me are with us." Viktor replied casually.

"You sure they aren't just fans?" Harry grinned. His friends then began introducing themselves to the other students behind Viktor.

"Pig head."

"Cannon fodder."

Viktor growled. "Well played."

"You realize that I use that every time, right?" Harry had to check to see if something had happened to the Bulgarian. Viktor's growl deepened. "So, did you enter the Tournament? You are of age."

"Against my wishes, yes. Since the others and Karkaroff want to hold me higher, I had to enter to not rouse suspicion." Viktor sighed.

Harry nodded. "I know that we always lose something so as not to. One place that is absolutely safe is called the Chamber of Secrets. Only my people know of its location, so we'll never have any trespassers."

"Where is it?" Viktor asked eagerly.

"Meet us in the dungeons right outside the Potions classroom. Tell not a single or even partial soul. We'll shadow travel you guys inside. There is a ghost that does not belong to our side guarding the entrance of the Chamber. Using the shadows is the only sure-fire way to get past her without getting caught." Harry quietly replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to have breakfast with my wife before the Great Hall gets too crowded. I bet everyone is dying to see the Goblet.

"Aye. I'll leave you to it then." Viktor then beckoned forth the other Durmstrang Assassins before leading them out of the Great Hall.

That night, many Hogwarts students couldn't wait for the champions to be announced. Many could be seen fidgeting in their seats, impatiently waiting for Dumbledore to finish eating his meal.

'_Probably likes the feeling of every waiting for him, the puppeteer.'_ Harry thought with a sneer.

At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr. Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" - he indicated the door behind the staff table - "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, blue-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting... A few people kept checking their watches…

The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."

Roars of laughter almost busted out of Harry's mouth after the final two words slipped out of Dumbledore's mouth, but Harry was able to contain his amusement.

After Harry calmed down, he saw Viktor rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore; he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

"Dumb fucking luck." Harry whispered to himself. What were the chances that two of his oldest friends would both become champions? Next thing he knew, Draco would become one as well!

When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next...

And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Every single Hufflepuff jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"

Dumbledore, though, suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. Then the old wizard began to read off of it. "Ha-"

The entire hall watched in amazement as the piece of parchment suddenly was on fire for an instant before extinguishing. Many students had wondered if they were seeing things.

Dumbledore read the slip of parchment once more except this time aloud so the entire hall could hear. "I mean, Lord Harry James Potter Peverell Hogwarts." Dumbledore frowned as he read the words of the slip.

"What the fuck?"

Everyone turned to see where the words had come from or to see the fourth champion for both were the same. The entire hall, Harry especially, sat in silence for a few moments.

Then, Harry locked eyes with Dumbledore.

"Fuck me." Harry said loud enough for only his friends and wife who were seated closest to him to hear.

A red spell was rocketing out of Dumbledore's wand and towards Harry at an amazing speed.

**AN: I just have to say: BOOM! I grew so excited as I wrote that final part of this chapter. The next one or two chapters will cover all of fourth year as it will be the last complete year in this part in the Grey Order trilogy as I have taken to calling it. As I'm using parts of the **_**Goblet of Fire**_** by J.K. Rowling, you should find that this story will be updated more often than my latest updates have been. From here on out, you should also expect the plot to speed up due to more action and twists than I have ever had before. Most will start next year, though, but the Tournament will definitely be more interesting as you see how a Grey Assassin handles it. Also, I will be posting news about all of my stories on my profile. As always please review as it gets me MUCH more motivated to crank out these chapters quicker for you guys to read, and it also helps make my chapters and the story overall better. **_**Occidere Prima Vel Occidi.**_


	21. Fourth Year Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, objects, words, or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's **_**Harry Potter**_** series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Language'

"Regular Language"

"_Communication Through the Mind, Communicator, or Parseltongue/Draconian"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

_**The Grey Assassins**_

**Chapter 21**

As the blood red spell rocketed in a straight path towards the now revealed head of the Potters, Peverells, and all four of the founders of Hogwarts, Harry quickly analyzed how best to stop the spell from hitting him or any others. After barely a second of thinking, Harry decided on the best course of action just before the spell was going to reach him.

The Assassins swung his hand around as if he was going to catch the spell in his hand. With perfect timing, the spell reached the palm but was unable to touch it as magic formed a shield in front of it that reflected the spell into the ceiling, burning a hole in it like a laser would. Dumbledore's brows raised in surprise, but that was the only time the old man could afford, for Harry had quickly jumped from his seated position and rolled as soon as he met the floor, anticipating another spell coming his way. Thankfully, though, this movement was unnecessary but did allow Harry to retrieve his wands. While he could easily perform silent, wandless magic, a wand or staff allowed his and all others' magic to flow stronger, bettering the spell cast.

Popping up from the floor, Harry went on the offensive, casting spell after spell with a point of his wand at Dumbledore each time signifying the passage of another.

After the first few spells, Dumbledore broke away from a pure defense as well. Right after a spell impacted his shield, Dumbledore launched another laser spell at Harry, interrupting the barrage but barely phasing Harry as he used one wand to protect himself and another to launch a line of spells rapidly at Dumbledore, or so the puppeteer thought.

Instead of targeting Dumbledore's person, Harry purposefully launched a row of explosive spells at the ground starting midway between the two and quickly advancing until the last spell impacted the ground directly in front of Dumbledore's feet. The man managed to put up a spell to defend himself from the impact of the blast, but the sheer force of a ton of stone propelled by a series of violent but controlled explosions hit him and knocked the man off his feet, sending him sprawling ten meters back.

Dumbledore quickly rose to his feet and began moving his hands to touch above his head, but Harry interrupted him in his movements by simply speaking.

"I don't think so, Dumbledore. While normally this castle could not keep you trapped inside with its magic alone, my magic is supplying the castle's magic as well as the castle doing so with me. This is also the same for my other magical manors, but the thing is… they are all linked together through me. Due to me being the head of them, I gain the strength of the houses and properties, and they gain from each other and me, making each of us stronger. So you see? You cannot leave for your magic cannot break through and neither can Fawkes's and yours together." Harry chuckled at the end.

'_Maybe I can break through the window and run away. I think I can make it.' _Dumbledore thought.

Harry needn't use legilimency to know what Dumbledore was thinking. He knew what Dumbledore would do because he knew who Dumbledore was better than the man did. He was the one who would inspire others so as not to fight or do the task himself. He was the one who only appeared to fight at the most important of times so as not to lose his power. He was the one who preferred the easy way despite preaching how nothing good comes easy. Harry knew exactly who Dumbledore was. He was one of the best politicians while also being one of the worst humans at the same time. Dumbledore was deception and politics at its worst, and Harry Potter really hated politics.

Right as Dumbledore began turning towards the window behind him, Harry interrupted him again.

"Uh, uh, uh, Dumbledore. I wouldn't go that way either. Because I am a Gryffindor."

A second later, Jericho in all of his might crashed through the mammoth window behind the teachers' table, sending shards of glass in all directions but backward. As soon as the griffin landed on the floor, his legs compressed and extended with his wings extended as well, letting Jericho jump over to be at the head of the Gryffindor table.

"A Hufflepuff."

Meles jumped through the already smashed window and looked angrily at Dumbledore just as Jericho did. If this site was not terrifying enough, Harry continued.

"A Ravenclaw."

Acquilina gracefully flew through the broken window and perched on the head of the Ravenclaw table before staring pointedly at Dumbledore. Harry smirked.

"And finally… a Slytherin." Harry let the final word roll off of his tongue slowly, as if savoring the taste of the word on his tongue.

Dumbledore's eyes widened, and his already frowning face drooped further.

"Didn't you ever wonder what was in the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked devilishly.

A second later, a roar sounded as Deus in all his might quickly slithered into the Great Hall before coming to rest coiled up at the head of the Slytherin table.

"It was a basilisk." Harry laughed before continuing. That isn't all, though. These four are not ordinary magical creatures. You see… these were the founders' familiars before they were put in animated suspension, where they did not age a day. I discovered all of them in first year along with the founders' secret chambers." Harry said proudly. He could finally announce his heritage and ownership to all.

Dumbledore managed to come up with a plan and raised his wand but not at Harry.

As soon as the New Assassins saw Dumbledore's target, each of them raised from their seated position with their wands pointed at Dumbledore.

"Only a coward would include someone their opponent loved in a fight in an attempt to save their own skin." Harry growled, seeing the Elder wand pointed at Daphne.

"How…?" Dumbledore trailed off.

"How what? How did all of us react so quickly? Is that what you mean? Well, let's just say all of us did more than talk and play gobstones when we disappeared from your field of view." Harry mocked before turning to his more militaristic side. "Now point your wand back at me, and let us finish this personally. If you re-engage me, my friends will lower their wands, but if you don't, this will get _very_ ugly. My friends understand that this is my fight, but when you include another one of us, you make this fight all of ours. We stick together."

Dumbledore appeared to think over Harry's wand before turning his wand back to Harry. The Assassins' wands slowly dropped, but all of them remained poised for any trickery.

"Fine by me." Dumbledore then began sending a vicious barrage of spells at Harry without a single gap to give Harry a chance to counter, or so Dumbledore thought.

Harry formed a shield that acted like rubber, giving in a little bit so each spell Dumbledore sent was reflected back at him at a faster rate. Harry also added a little bit more energy to the shield, allowing the spells to be stronger when sent back.

Dumbledore had to stop casting new spells and just raised a shield to stop his own spells from hitting him. As soon as the last spell left his shield, Harry dropped it and brought his other wand to bear and sent a quick succession of spells that further weakened the old man's shield and his already exhausting magic. Dumbledore tried going on the offensive by pushing the shield out to try and hit Harry, but Harry quickly used a spell to destroy it. Seeing this, Dumbledore tried one more attempt to better his opponent.

'_Piertotum Locomotor!' _Dumbledore shouted, holding his wand aloft.

There was a rumble as stone figures began marching in unison toward Harry with their weapons at the ready.

"Kill the boy!" Dumbledore commanded.

Harry, though, held up his hand to the statues behind him without giving them a glance. Automatically, they halted in their march, waiting for further orders.

"Dumbledore, Dumbledore, will you never learn?" Harry asked as if speaking to a child. "These statues' loyalties lie with me, the castle's rightful owner. While you led the school itself, you don't own the castle. That was… until I came into the picture with my emancipation, making me an adult in the eyes of the law and allowing me to be in charge of both the castle and the school. You are done, Dumbledore."

"I wouldn't bet on it!" Dumbledore shouted before starting to summon the remainder of his magic to help him.

Harry merely rolled his eyes with a sigh and sent a spell out of his wand, knocking back the old man and disrupting his concentration. Harry then walked over to him, his troops ready to spring at even the slightest threat or danger. Harry then bent down and whispered in Dumbledore's ear. "Theatricalities can be great weapons against someone, but you have to use them quickly against an opponent who is inexperienced in a duel… or old-fashioned. You made the mistake of being slow and using them on me."

Harry then stunned the old fool and rose from his bent position, so he was standing. "Susan, would you mind contacting your aunt? I think I can rightfully say I won this duel, and I would prefer not to have garbage litter my floors." Harry then had his left wand float back into his gauntlet holster covered by his sleeve and took his right wand so it was pointed into the air, repairing the previously damaged floor and the hole in the ceiling.

"There aren't any floos available." Susan reminded.

"Oh, yes." Harry said before going into a trance. "Just go to the nearest fireplace. All are open as floos for the time being. Please guide everyone back here."

Susan nodded before quickly exiting the Great Hall.

Harry then looked at his ancestors' familiars and mouthed "thank you" before jerking his head to the left, indicating that it would be best for the four to return to their homes. They nodded and quickly ventured back into the night through the window they had just entered through.

After the tip of Deus's tail cleared the window, Harry raised his wand and repaired the previously broken glass.

Harry then turned towards the staff table. "I apologize for this change of events. I'll go meet the other champions, so we can figure this out while this mess is cleaned up."

Harry then addressed the Beauxbaton headmistress, translating his previous statement. "Je m'excuse pour ce changement d'événements. Je vais rencontrer les autres champions, donc nous pouvons comprendre cela, tout ce gâchis est nettoyé."

Madame Maxime looked surprised at this and was speechless.

"Izvinyavame I za tazi promyana na sŭbitiyata. Shte se vidya s drugite shampioni, za da mozhem da razberem tova, dokato tazi bŭrkotiya se pochistvat." Harry said, addressing Karkaroff this time in Bulgarian, again translating his first statement.

The Bulgarian did not react much better than the French headmistress with his mouth hanging open as if on a hinge. Harry had perfect pronunciation in both languages.

"Daphne, would you please let the aurors know that I want to press all charges in full and let them know of everything the man has done?" Harry asked with a smile.

Daphne grinned and nodded.

Harry's smile widened and followed the path the other champions had taken into the antechamber. Despite the recent duel and his unexpected selection as a champion, Harry felt relieved to not have to hide one more secret.

"What are you doing here?" Cedric asked roughly.

"Oui, I expected to zee Madame Maxime, not you." Fleur added, falling into her disguise.

"I don't know. The Goblet also spat my name out after yours, Diggory." Harry replied. "It actually revealed my true name as well."

Everyone gave Harry a curious look.

"The paper changed from 'Harry Potter' to 'Lord Harry James Potter Peverell Hogwarts.' I became the head of each of these houses secretly before first year." Harry explained.

"Yeah, right! Probably you just trying to grab more fame than you already have!" Cedric shouted.

Harry held up his right hand in a fist with the bottom facing him. First he showed the Hogwarts rings on his ring finger by lifting the finger into the air. "Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff." Harry lowered the finger and raised his index, showing off the Peverell ring. "Peverell." Harry balled the finger back into his fist before smirking and raising his middle finger adorned with the Potter ring. "Potter, so fuck you."

Cedric angrily drew his wand and pointed it at Harry. They were five meters apart.

"I just defeated Dumbledore. Do you really believe that it is in your best interest to face me?" Harry asked staring fiercely into the seventeen year old's eyes. Harry's Assassin persona had been partly unleashed during the recent fight, making the fourteen year old who seemed so shy and innocent disappear.

"You're joking." Cedric tried calling what he thought was a bluff.

"Really? Didn't you hear the noises of a duel in the Great Hall? Dumbledore automatically attacked me after announcing to everyone the revised piece of parchment, so I defended myself and ended up beating him. I believe that the aurors are on their way to clean up the sack of shite now." Harry replied.

"I highly doubt that. Dumbledore is the greatest wizard alive!" Cedric argued.

"I guess you should say that he _was _the greatest wizard alive until that duel." Harry smiled.

"Yeah, right!" Cedric shouted.

"This is pointless. You have the brains of a troll apparently." Harry rolled his eyes before remembering a fact to easily prove his supremacy over Dumbledore. "But I think I have something to shut your tripe." Harry then reached into his robes and pulled out the Elder wand. Harry had slipped the wand into his robes before rising from beside Dumbledore's stunned body. "Recognize this?"

"How…?" Cedric asked in shock.

"I told you. I… beat… Dumbledore." Harry annunciated each word of his last sentence with great care as he placed the wand back in his robes.

Before the conversation could continue, the sound of scurrying feet sounded behind them as Bagman entered the chamber.

The man stepped forward and seized Harry's arm. Harry barely managed not to send the man to the floor despite his instincts.

"Extraordinary! I haven't seen magic like that in all my life!" he muttered, squeezing Harry's arm. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen… lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce - incredible though it may seem – the wizard who beat Albus Dumbledore in a duel mere minutes ago and the fourth Triwizard champion?"

Cedric barely managed to keep a growl of frustration from escaping his throat. Harry, though, noticed and chuckled softly.

"You have to be kidding! He can't compete! He isn't of age, and there is already a champion for Hogwarts: me!" Cedric did object.

"Well… it is amazing," said Bagman, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at Harry. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as his name's come out of the goblet… I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage… It's down in the rules you're obliged… Harry will just have to do the best he can."

Before Bagman could continue, the door behind them opened again, and a large group of people came in: Mr. Crouch, followed closely by Professor Karkaroff, Madam Maxime, McGonagall, and Severus. Harry heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall, before McGonagall closed the door.

"Lord Potter, I think you should be made aware that Dumbledore was taken away moments ago by the DMLE. Your wife made sure they were well aware of all charges against you and that you wished to have them pushed forward." McGonagall said.

"Thank you, professor."

"While that was an incredible bout of magic, I think we all deserve an answer to your name coming out of the Goblet, Monsieur Potter." Maxime said angrily.

"I'd rather like to know that myself." Karkaroff added.

"First of all, you shall address me as Lord _Hogwarts _in my home, Madam, and then I truly hope that you aren't insinuating that I entered my name in the Goblet or had someone do so for me?" Harry asked roughly.

"That is exactly what we are saying, Lord Hogwarts!" Karkaroff shouted.

"You are of legal age as you are emancipated." Maxime pointed out.

"No, Potter might be an insolent brat, but even he would know better than doing so. I believe more… sinister forces are at work here." Severus intervened.

"You don't honestly believe that do you, Severus?" McGonagall asked in shock.

"Do you want me to prove to you that I did not enter the Tournament?" Harry sighed. His mood ruined by the foolishness around him.

Everyone looked at Harry oddly.

Harry took out his right wand and inhaled a deep breath. "I, Harry James Potter Peverell Gryffindor Slytherin Ravenclaw Hufflepuff, do vow, upon my life and magic, that I did not place my name on a piece of parchment into the Goblet of Fire, nor did I have any other person do so for me within my knowledge. So mote it be." A bright flash signified that magic had accepted his vow. "Shit, my name is long."

The professors and three students in the room looked at Harry in shock that he had just performed such magic.

"Fine piece of work, Potter, err, Hogwarts." Moody said, having just entered the room.

"Thank you, professor. So… since I am alive, I think that rather wraps this up well, is there anything else left for tonight?" Harry asked.

"We still need to resolve this matter, milord." McGonagall said.

"Which one? It seems like I have constantly had a thousand problems ever since I came to this castle and found out about my heritage." Harry shook his head.

"Well, it seems like you got a madman after you again, Hogwarts. This time, though, I doubt it is Sirius Black. He wouldn't want to let something else do his job for him. No, the one who put your name in the goblet was skilled, smart, and obviously wants you getting killed in the tasks." Moody estimated.

"I don't see how that resolves anything tonight." McGonagall said.

"Because it doesn't." Harry replied. "If Professor Moody is correct, then a secret investigation will have to be done to find this man, and it will take time."

"Correct, Hogwarts. Twenty points to Gryffindor for thinking the right way!" Moody praised.

"That brings us to another more personal matter." Severus began then deepened his sneer. "What house are you to be in since you somehow have equal traits from all four… even Slytherin house?"

"I will remain with my friends in Gryffindor as I see no point in changing it this far in my school career, but I do not believe it fair for me to be able to be awarded any points as I could award myself if I wished for the most trivial of tasks." Harry replied.

"Honestly, I can't believe you're worried about the houses. I was referring to your place as owner of the school and castle." McGonagall first scolded Severus before turning to Harry.

"I will be making changes to the overall dynamic to the school as I see fit, but there is still a board of governors to ensure my changes are fair. Also, I leave you with Dumbledore's former position as the new headmistress, McGonagall. I believe you will do well." Harry explained.

"Ah, and my old position as head of Gryffindor house and Transfiguration professor?" McGonagall asked.

"Hmm." Harry hummed, thinking over the details. "How would you feel, professor Moody, about taking charge of Gryffindor house for the year, seeing as it would be much easier than bringing someone in?"

"I'll do it. Minerva, if you could brief me on my duties as a head of house, I'd be thankful." Moody answered. McGonagall nodded her head in response.

"As for the Transfiguration position, let me get my wife." Harry said before using his soul bond.

'Hey, Daph. Could you apparate to me for a few minutes? I need your help with something.' Harry said.

'Sure. I've been waiting here with the other students since you left. I haven't been able to see what's going on much because of everyone.' Daphne replied.

'No worries, love. You're Lady Hogwarts for Merlin's sake! You are technically in charge of them.' Harry grinned internally. Daphne did not say anything else, but she didn't to let Harry know that she was annoyed at her using her position to gain one up on the students. They already were much more experienced. Harry then continued to inform her of the problem and what Harry thought she could do to help.

A second after Harry finished speaking, Daphne disappeared from her spot at the Gryffindor table and reappeared beside her husband.

Harry received more curious looks again that night.

'This is getting old, fast.'

"We own the castle, so we can apparate within its wards." Harry explained. "Now Daphne, could you explain our plan?"

"Kiss-ass." She whispered.

'I do love to do that at night… when it is yours.' Unnoticed by everyone besides his wife, Harry smirked devilishly.

"My mother, if you remember professor McGonagall, was fairly proficient in Transfiguration, and lately she has complained slightly to me about being bored. I think she would be more than pleased to fill the Transfiguration position. If you would allow me?" Daphne quickly explained before heading over to the fireplace before sticking her head in it. The fire turned into a floo just before Daphne's head was lit on fire. McGonagall had given a nod of her head to the fourteen year old when she finished speaking. A few minutes later, Daphne stood up. "She will meet you, professor McGonagall, in your new office to finalize everything."

"That is it I believe… unless there is anything we need to be made aware of Mr. Bagman, Crouch?" Harry asked politely.

Bagman nodded enthusiastically. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"

Mr. Crouch seemed to come out of a deep reverie.

"Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes . . . the first task . . ." He moved forward into the firelight.

Close up, Harry thought he looked ill. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes and a thin, papery look about his wrinkled skin.

"The first task is designed to test your daring," he told Harry, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor, "so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard… very important.

"The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges.

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests."

"Are we allowed to wear protective jewelry and such?" Harry asked.

Crouch that for a moment, as if looking through the rulebook in his brain. "Yes, Lord Hogwarts. I believe you may. Though, may I ask what you are referring to by jewelry?"

"My head of house rings were made with ancient protective charms. I probably will never even discover all of them." Harry laughed. "Then, my wedding band has a few wards on it as well."

"Ah. I just thought it fair to ask."

Harry nodded his acceptance. "Now, shall we go notify the others of the recent news? Then I suppose each of us should be heading to bed unless absolutely necessary."

"Unfortunately, Lord Hogwarts, I will not be staying the night. The Ministry is in a difficult position at the moment with Weatherby in charge. I'll be heading back over there to try and straighten what I can out." Crouch replied.

"Very well. I assure you that you are more than welcome to a suite if the need should arise." Harry said.

"Thank you."

All of them then began proceeding out of the antechamber and into the Great Hall.

"After discussing the facts and a magical vow on Lord Hogwarts's part, Lord Hogwarts will be a champion. He swore that he did not enter his name or have anyone do so for him. The rules also clearly state that a champion has to compete by law established by the Goblet." Crouch announced.

The Great Hall went into a buzz of chatter, hearing this news. With mixed feelings being plainly apparent. Some looked outraged, others surprised, and the Assassins concerned.

"As for the new presence of Lord Hogwarts, he will be making some changes that will be looked over by our board of directors. Also, he filled the now-absent position of headmaster with me. Because of this, Professor Moody will be taking over my position as the head of Gryffindor house. Your new Transfiguration will be here in the morning." McGonagall announced as well. "Would you like to say anything, milord?"

Harry shook his head.

"Very well. I believe we should head to bed. With all of this excitement, it seems time got away from us. Tomorrow you can congratulate your champions. Good night!" McGonagall finished.

The students then started flooding out of the Great Hall, excluding the British Assassins.

"I will talk with all of you tomorrow." Harry said to the staff before joining his friends.

"This year just got a little bit more interesting, huh?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded with a sigh.

"We still meeting Durmstrang tonight?" Neville asked.

Harry nodded again. "This turn of events doesn't change the meeting. They're separate. Viktor will expect nothing less. Go to your dormitories, then leave in the shadows."

The group then broke apart to fill out Harry's instructions.

As soon as they entered their suite, Harry and Daphne moved to their bedroom, where they quickly changed into their Assassin robes. When Harry finished, though, he went into the living room.

"What are you doing?" Daphne sighed.

Harry merely smiled before holding his hand out towards one of the walls. Suddenly, it disappeared and was replaced with a short hallway that led to a kitchen. On both sides of the hall, the objects on the old wall appeared. Inside the kitchen, Daphne could make out a coffee maker.

She shook her head with a smile on her face. "Let's go, you child."

A second later two shadows raced into the dungeons, where they waited for the Durmstrang students. The others were already there as shadows.

A few minutes later, they arrived.

"I guess the Brits thought the meeting was off." One said.

"Hey, not all of us are British! I, for one, am a proud Irishman." Seamus said, coming out of the shadows.

"He gets sore about that pretty often." Blaise explained.

Harry rolled his eyes, unknown to everyone. "Follow us."

The Durmstrang students nodded before all of them disappeared, seven shadows following behind the others. A few seconds later, they reappeared inside the main part of the Chamber.

"Everything you would ever need in a base is here… excluding research, though there is a library. From here you can access the rest of the castle using the elevators in the pipes, and there are several tunnels leading out into the Dark Forest." Harry informed. "I trust you can access this place anytime you want and won't demolish the place?"

"What about international hospitality?" Viktor asked.

"I showed you this place, but everyone cleans up after themselves. Deus and Basiliscum both rest in here, so please do not attack them. They might as well be my own familiars." Harry replied.

"Deus? Basiliscum?" A student asked.

"The basilisks. Harry and I created a companion for Deus so he was not alone all of the time. He was Salazar's beast." Daphne answered.

Everyone nodded. "Anything else we should know?"

"There is a centaur village in the Dark Forest under our allegiance. Just be respectful to them, not risking our relationship, or else we'll have to do damage control." Hannah said.

The students nodded their acceptance.

"Now, go to sleep. We'll have more time to get acquainted in the coming months." Harry then disappeared into the shadows without another word. The others quickly followed suite."

The next few days had Harry meet the professors telling them to start straightening up so as to make Hogwarts stand apart from the other schools. He didn't, though, reveal the horribly behind curriculum. Iris also became the new Transfiguration teacher as discussed but brought a new more filling way of teaching into the classroom. As for the students, Harry's fellow Assassins tried gaining support in their houses with no real result from Hufflepuff, Slytherin, or Gryffindor. No Hufflepuff was agreeing, and Slytherin and Gryffindor were unchanging in their support with Slytherin having almost no Diggory supporters. Ravenclaw was the only house to be split halfway between the two Hogwarts champions.

About a week later, though, Harry actually had some fun.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins had begun double potions when there was a knock at the door.

It was Colin Creevey; he edged into the room, beaming at Harry, and walked up to Severus's desk at the front of the room.

"Yes?" said the professor curtly.

"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Lord Hogwarts upstairs." Severus stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face.

"Hogwarts has another hour of Potions to complete," said Severus coldly. "He will come upstairs when this class is finished."

Colin went pink.

"Sir - sir, Mr. Bagman wants him," he said nervously. "All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs…"

"Shite." Harry said softly. He didn't like the press in any way imaginable as politicians controlled most news.

"Very well, very well," Snape snapped. "Hogwarts, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidote."

"Please, sir - he's got to take his things with him," squeaked Cohn. "All the champions..."

"Very well!" said Snape. "Hogwarts - take your bag and get out of my sight!"

Harry swung his bag over his shoulder, got up, and headed for the door.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" said Colin, starting to speak the moment Harry had closed the dungeon door behind him. "Isn't it, though? You being champion?"

"Sure, I get to risk my life in three tasks. It's brilliant."

"But… you defeated Dumbledore," said Colin, lost.

"Just because I defeated a fool, doesn't mean I want to risk my life in something I didn't enter." Harry replied.

Colin fell silent.

"So, what do they want these photos for?" Harry asked, at least trying to be friendly.

"The Daily Prophet, I think!"

"Perfect. The most corrupt newspaper." Harry mumbled to himself.

"Good luck!" said Colin when they had reached the right room. Harry knocked on the door and entered.

He was in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Five chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch Harry had never seen before, who was wearing magenta robes.

Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody. Cedric and Fleur were in conversation. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye.

Bagman suddenly spotted Harry, got up quickly, and bounded forward.

"Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come… nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment -"

"Wand weighing?" Harry asked curiously.

"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead," said Bagman. "The expert's upstairs now with McGonagall. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter," he added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. "She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet…"

"Maybe not that small, Ludo," said Rita Skeeter, her eyes on Harry.

Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson.

"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?" she said to Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Harry. "The youngest champion, you know… to add a bit of color?"

"Certainly!" cried Bagman. "That is - if Harry has no objection?"

"Actually, I do, Ms. Skeeter." Harry said.

"Oh." Rita seemed disappointed while Bagman gave the teen a hidden thumbs up. Harry then excused himself and went to lean against the wall nearby Krum.

A few minutes later, McGonagall entered and had everyone sit down. Behind her, Crouch, Karkaroff, and Maxime entered.

Harry and the other champions sat in the chairs by the door with Harry at the far right and Viktor sitting beside him.

Meanwhile all five of the judges, now including McGonagall, sat down in the five seats. Skeeter slipped into a chair in the corner, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill.

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander? He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament." McGonagall said.

Harry had already glanced around and knew that an old wizard with large, pale eyes was standing quietly by the window.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.

Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand.

"Hmm…" he said.

He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it chose to his eyes and examined it carefully.

"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches… inflexible… rosewood… and containing… dear me…"

"An 'air from ze 'ead of a veela," said Fleur. "One of my grandmuzzer's."

"Yes," said Mr. Ollivander, "yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands...however, to each his own, and if this suits you…"

Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, "Orchideous!" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip.

"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order," said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. "Mr. Diggory, you next."

"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn… must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches… ash… pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition...You treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night," said Cedric, grinning.

"I bet he _polishes _his _wand _every night." Harry whispered to Krum with a grin. Viktor barely managed not to have the same expression on his face.

Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, "Mr. Krum, if you please."

Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"Hmm," said Mr. Ollivander, "this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I… however…"

He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes.

"Yes… hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees… quite rigid… ten and a quarter inches… Avis!"

The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight.

"I knew Viktor's package would fall a little bit short." Harry joked louder so Fleur could hear. Unfortunately, McGonagall did as well and gave him a particularly nasty glare but remained silent.

"Good," said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. "Which leaves… Lord Hogwarts."

Harry got to his feet and walked past Krum to Mr. Ollivander. He handed over his right wand. "You want the other as well?"

Ollivander looked at Harry curiously but nodded. Harry revealed the other and handed it over as well.

"Hmm… very interesting. Manzanita and yew wood with basilisk venom, a wolf fang, thestral hairs, and dragon heartstring as the core, am I correct? Then, of course, a sunstone on the end of each. Are you sure you use these?"

Harry nodded. "Every day. They fit perfectly."

Ollivander absorbed this and nodded. "Fairly rigid but not by much… thirteen and a half inches… very worn I see, but still in perfect condition curiously." The man then made a fountain of wine appear out of both before handing them back to Harry, who automatically refitted his wands in their holsters.

"I knew I would have the biggest _wand_, and I _definitely _know how to use it." Harry barely contained his laughter, but Fleur and Viktor couldn't, making Harry bust out as well.

"Lord Hogwarts!" McGonagall scolded.

"Did I do something wrong, professor? I was just commenting on my _wand_." Harry laughed, making Cedric join in the champions' laughter.

"Just go to dinner, Hogwarts. I really don't another James." McGonagall sighed.

"Photos, McGonagall, photos!" cried Bagman excitedly. "All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?"

"Er - yes, let's do those first," said Rita Skeeter, whose eyes were upon Harry. "And then perhaps some individual shots."

The photographs took a long time. Madame Maxime cast everyone else into shadow wherever she stood, and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame; eventually she had to sit while everyone else stood around her. Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger to give it an extra curl; Krum skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Fleur at the front, but Rita Skeeter kept hurrying forward and dragging Harry into greater prominence. Then she insisted on separate shots of all the champions. At last, they were free to go.

All of them then proceeded down to dinner where each dined with their friends.

That November twenty-second, Harry got news from Hannah that the centaurs had found Ministry officials in the Dark Forest with four female dragons and had supplied an exact location. The British Assassins kept this information to themselves because they assumed they would be involved in the first task.

Two days later, Harry woke extra early to give himself some quiet before the school woke up.

Fifteen minutes before he and Daphne were supposed to wake, Harry slowly transformed as a shadow before traveling up to the Griffin's Den to look out at the first light of the day before Jericho would return.

The door was wide open, and Harry smiled as a touch of orange began growing far away, on the horizon. Slowly, the sun rose, and yellow grew on top of that color. Before the yellow faded into white as the sun started its path of the day. Atop the white, a pale blue formed before growing darker until reaching the blackness of night.

Harry inhaled and exhaled slowly, taking in the chilly November air. Despite only being dressed in long johns, the cold didn't seem to bother him.

A second later, Harry used his ring to dress himself in his exercise outfit. Harry then applied a cleaning charm to his mouth to clean his teeth and freshen his breath.

"Today will be interesting." Harry disappeared into the shadows.

Later after breakfast, Harry and the Assassin saw how the regular students were taking the event. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure - though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there.

A few later during lunch, McGonagall hurried over to Harry who was in the Great Hall.

"Hogwarts, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now... You have to get ready for your first task."

"Okay," said Harry, standing up, his fork set down upon his plate silently.

"Good luck, Harry," Daphne whispered. "You'll be fine!"

Harry grinned. "Thanks, love."

Harry then left with McGonagall.

As they walked down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, McGonagall gave him a glance.

"Potter, be safe out there. I know what you are capable of, but I still want you to know that. Even if the situation gets out of hand, there are wizards on hand to get it back under control." McGonagall spoke.

"Thanks, headmistress." Harry replied truthfully.

She was leading him toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view.

"You're to go in here with the other champions," said McGonagall, "and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there… he'll be telling you the procedure… Good luck."

Harry then went inside.

Fleur was in a corner, sitting on a low wooden stool with Viktor nearby, scanning the tent for every detail. Both seemed cool and collected, but Cedric was a completely different story. He kept pacing up and down the length of the tent worriedly.

"Hogwarts! Good-o!" said Bagman happily, looking around at him. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"

Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing by pale-faced Cedric. He was wearing his old Wasp robes again.

"Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er - varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too… ah, yes… your task is to collect the golden egg!"

Harry glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Harry, Fleur, and Viktor hadn't reacted at all in true Assassin fashion.

And in no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, and joking… Harry felt as separate from the crowd as though they were a different species. They were not about to face death in the face. And then – it seemed like about a second later to Harry - Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack.

"Ladies first," he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.

She put a steady hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck. She wore a look of determination upon her face, staying true to her training. You didn't give up, even when you knew you would die because thinking like that could make you do the impossible and live.

The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground.

Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the bluish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck.

Harry then put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out a Hungarian Horntail, a particularly nasty species of dragon, and the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs.

"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now… Hogwarts… could I have a quick word? Outside?"

Harry nodded his head in the affirmative, got up, and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face.

"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?"

"Nothing, sir. Thanks for asking."

"Got a plan?" said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean," Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdog here, Harry… Anything I can do to help…"

"No, thank you, Mr. Bagman. I really appreciate it, but I was raised on the muggle streets. As soon as I was introduced to Hogwarts, I started learning defense spells years ahead of even my current classes. I think I can handle myself." Harry declined respectfully, showing how much he appreciated the offer. He knew that a man like Bagman might be soft but would be great for the future when the Order revealed itself.

A whistle had blown somewhere.

"Good lord, I've got to run!" said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off.

Harry walked back to the tent and saw Cedric emerging from it, greener than ever. Harry grinned.

Harry went back inside to Fleur and Viktor. Seconds hater, they heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to-face with the living counterpart of his model.

"Crush it. With us being who we are, we can do no less." Harry advised. The two seventeen year olds nodded.

And then, after about fifteen minutes, Harry heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg.

"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"

But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd.

"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"

Fleur gave a nod to Viktor and Harry before leaving the tent.

"So you going to share with me how you're getting past the dragon?" Harry joked.

Viktor glared. "You know we can't share."

"That was never said in the rules." Harry pointed out. "Besides, I was just breaking the tension. Shit, you're tense. I don't remember you always this way."

"This time I'm fighting to win a game while surviving. It isn't the same as what we've done." Viktor replied.

Harry nodded. "It really isn't."

The same process started again…"Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. "Oh… nearly! Careful now… good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"

Ten minutes later, Harry heard the crowd erupt into applause once more… Fleur must have been successful too. A pause, while Fleur's marks were being shown… more clapping… then, for the third time, the whistle.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry quite alone.

Harry almost went into a trance, being aware of all of his surroundings, but really focusing on his body and its functions. Harry became finely tuned with his environment to prepare himself for the dragon. If he was recently in this soothing state of excitement, he could easily return to it a few minutes later.

"Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, and Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!"

Applause shattered the winter air like breaking glass; Krum had finished – it would be Harry's turn any moment.

Then the whistle blew, and adrenalin began coursing all throughout Harry's body and mind, enhancing every sense he had.

He walked out through the entrance of the tent, past the trees, and through a gap in the enclosure fence.

He saw everything in front of him as though it was a very highly colored dream. There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring down at him from stands that had been magicked there since he'd last stood on this spot. And there was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground. The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not Harry didn't know or care. It was time to do what he had to do by any means necessary within the rules.

'Do your thing, Rex.' Harry said.

Four-year-old Rex had grown to a large size since his hatching. He was still the same color as he was as a hatchling, but now he looked more fearsome than ever before.

"_I apologize for this, but one egg in your nest is not yours. My rider wishes to free you of the burden of a fake egg for he needs it to continue in a quest." _Rex said.

"_I find that highly unlikely." _The Horntail growled, bulking herself up to appear more fearsome. Rex, though, was much larger than the Horntail and was more deadly.

"_You have been tricked by some humans so as to provide a challenge for my rider. He must get this egg if he is to survive the next part of his journey!" _Rex pressured.

"_Lies!" _The Hungarian Horntail spat fire out of its gaping jaw… at Harry.

Unprepared for this, Harry tried jumping out of the way, but was hit dead on by the blast of fire. The audience gasped, not seeing anything but smoke.

A second later, though, the smoke cleared and the entire crowd, Harry, and the dragons were in shock as Harry appeared unharmed but an energy was surrounding him.

Harry looked around curiously and saw his one mysterious gray ring glowing.

"So that's what that does." He mumbled to himself. When the fire had hit, the ring had formed a tight shield that covered all of Harry's body like a suit. It even ensured his hair was not singed.

"Prick!" Harry shouted at the Horntail. He then looked at Rex.

'Get her.'

Rex automatically barreled forward, his jaws clamping around the other dragon's neck. His grip was firm but did not break through the dragon's scales. He just needed to give Harry a chance.

Harry, meanwhile, had run as fast as he could up into the Horntail's nest. After a millisecond to scan it, Harry found the golden egg and quickly picked it up.

'Rex, let's get out of here!' Harry said.

The dragon merely shifted his weight back in forth, the Horntail still stuck by the neck, before flinging the dragon away. It crashed onto the ground hard, scattering rocks and other debris into the air. Rex then quickly went up beside the nest and kneeled down so Harry could get on. The human jumped the five meters onto his familiar's back before sitting down in between two protruding bone spikes. He still had the egg in one arm with the other wrapping around the spike in front of him.

Rex then took off, flying into the air and away from the chaos down below.

The handlers had rushed forward into the enclosure to secure the Horntail once more. Bagman was going crazy as well as the crowd, but he was rambling almost incoherently about Harry's time of four and a half minutes and how well Harry had performed. After seeing the Horntail taken away, Harry and Rex landed back on the ground.

Harry looked through the stands until he saw the judges. Maxime raised her wand in the air. What looked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure nine.

Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number ten into the air.

Next was McGonagall, who also put up a ten. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.

Ludo Bagman put a ten into the air as well. By the expression on his face, he would have gone higher if allowed.

And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too - four. Then, though, Crouch gave Karkaroff a look. The Bulgarian changed his score to an eight.

Harry looked down at his dragon's back before looking up at Karkaroff. He then raised his left middle finger to him. Harry would've also used his right but was limited by the egg. If the professor wanted to play like that, then fine. The professor, though, would deal with the consequences.

"Excuse me, sir?" A man shouted from below. "We need you checked out at the first-aid tent!"

Harry nodded and allowed his ring to absorb the egg. Harry then jumped down and turned to Rex.

'You were great my friend. I couldn't have asked anymore from you.' Rex beamed at the praise. Harry put his hand on the tip of Rex's nose and gave it a pat.

Rex then transformed back into a tattoo, racing up Harry's arm from the palm.

Harry walked quickly out of the enclosure and spotted Madam Pomfrey standing outside a second tent, looking worried.

"Dragons!" she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside. The tent was divided into cubicles; he could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Pomfrey gave Harry a quick look over but was actually pleased by what she found. "You were lucky you had that ring, milord, or else I wouldn't need to be doing this now."

Harry nodded. "Family heirloom. I find out what each does as I go along. Though, I just solved the last mystery."

Pomfrey merely muttered about the dragons and went over to check on someone else. Harry took that as his permission to leave.

As soon as he exited the tent, a crowd of his entire fellow Assassins at the shool overwhelmed him with Daphne pulling him into a deep kiss.

"Could you save that for the bedroom?" Ernie asked.

Harry and Daphne pulled out of the kiss, but they remained in each other's arms. "Okay."

"Harry, mate, I can't believe you just did that! That was fucking awesome as all hell!" Seamus shouted.

"Thanks." Harry smiled.

"You know that McGonagall will give you hell for flipping off a teacher." Hermione said.

"What about robes? He'll kill Harry for almost getting killed by the Horntail's fire!" Draco revised.

"I think he'll just be glad his son survived." Susan replied.

"I am, but you should have not been so careless." Severus said quietly from the shadows. If a normal person had looked at the spot where the man was standing, they would have seen nothing but darkness.

"Sorry, Dad. Won't happen again." Harry replied without looking at the spot. No point in giving his adopted father away.

"Now, get out of here. You won't want to kill Karkaroff. That would be an annoyance that we don't need right now." Severus said, referring to the bird Harry had flipped.

A couple of weeks later, the Gryffindors were almost done with Transfiguration when Iris stopped the class. A week after she had arrived, Moody had given her the title of the head of Gryffindor house, saying that it was "too much trouble for not much of a result."

"All right, class. Today, I am stopping class early today to give you some important news, so listen up!" Iris told the class of fourth years. All halted what they were doing and looked at the professor.

"The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger student if you wish -"

Lavender Brown let out a shrill giggle. Parvati Patil nudged her hard in the ribs, her face working furiously as she too fought not to giggle.

"Dress robes will be worn," Professor Greengrass continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now, the Yule Ball is a chance for everyone to have some fun, but Professor McGonagall-"

Lavender giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound. The Assassins, who took up almost all of the class, shook their heads with smiles on their faces. Professor McGonagall, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair at any point in her life.

"Our headmistress wants me to tell you that we will not be 'relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students' as she put it. I, for one, agree that if any of you should embarrass this school in any way, that you should be punished, but know that all of you should have some fun." Professor Greengrass continued.

The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.

"Harry, could you stay here for a minute?" Iris asked above the noise. She then looked at her daughter. "Don't worry, I won't keep him long."

Daphne blushed a little bit and followed Hermione out of the classroom.

Harry walked up to the front after the classroom was completely empty excluding him and his mother-in-law.

"Yes, mum?" Harry asked.

"I just thought that you should know that you have to attend the Yule Ball since you are a champion." Iris replied.

Harry jerked his head, cursing in his mind.

"I know that you wouldn't like it, but I thought it better for you to know now then the day before you left Hogwarts."

"All right. Thanks. Is there anything else I should know about this?" Harry sighed.

"Just that as a champion you are required to have a partner. I know that it will be hard for you, but it is necessary." Iris replied.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Even if I didn't even know Daphne-"

Iris was giving him an odd look.

"I don't like the idea of not being married to her." Harry admitted. "And I would still probably go with her if I did know her."

Iris nodded her understanding.

"Even if I didn't know Daph, do you really think I would have any trouble finding a date? I am my fathers' son, all four of them." Harry laughed at the end.

"Just go." Iris rolled her eyes but smiled. "I don't think my daughter will want to be kept waiting."

Harry grinned and quickly left the classroom.

The week before the Ball was quite fun for the Assassins as they had efficiently and easily finished all of their holiday work, days before. During that week, all of them decided to start cutting loose and had snowball fights which ended with bruises covering their skin before being healed due to them actually starting to fight in the snow. Also, unknown to the others, Harry, Daphne, Draco, Astoria, Neville, and Hannah had been meeting, planning a surprise for the special event.

Meanwhile, the Assassins had found themselves dates or hadn't even bothered. Neville had actually asked Hannah, Blaise asked Padma, Justin unsurprisingly asked Hermione, Theodore, Anthony, and Dean each got dates from Beauxbatons, Ernie asked Parvati, Terry asked Pansy, Michael asked Lavender, and Seamus had actually asked Susan to humor the others who always said that the two of them actually liked each other. After Susan had slapped him in the face, she had agreed just to stop Hannah from pestering her about it. Crabbe and Goyle decided to just hang around, and Fred and George asked Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, respectfully.

At five o'clock on Christmas day, all of the girls migrated almost as one to their rooms to get ready for the festivities.

"You think they wouldn't need to take so long to get ready being Assassins, huh?" Ernie asked as the boys hung around in the training room.

"Just because they can be ready in less than a minute…" Fred began.

"Doesn't mean they always have to." George finished.

"You guys want to exercise before we get ready?" Harry asked.

The boys looked at Harry as if he was crazy.

"We're going to have to shower anyways, and our veins will be popping out probably." Harry explained. "We'll look a lot better."

"Dude… three words for you. No… fucking… way." Michael said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You have anything better to do?"

Seamus smiled and stood up. "Cards, anyone?"

Harry smiled as well. "You got me there."

Two hours later, the boys hurried up into their rooms to change. Oddly, though, the girls couldn't be seen, not even in Harry or Draco's marriage suites.

Despite them complaining about the girls taking their time, the boys took thirty minutes to prepare themselves.

"How do I look guys?" Harry asked Umbra and Zeus as he turned away from the mirror.

'Ugly as all hell, like usual.' Zeus replied.

Harry smirked. "I'm good then, I take it?"

Umbra nodded. 'By the way, the girls are waiting in the Room of Requirement.'

"Now you tell me." Harry shook his head. "Come on." The two went up to Harry's palms before racing up into his shirt as tattoos. "It's time to have some fun tonight."

"Attention, all boys. The girls are waiting at the Room of Requirement. Daphne left me a message using Umbra and Zeus."

Harry received a response from everyone acknowledging his message.

"See you there."

Harry then quickly walked out of his suite and hurried up the four flights to the seventh floor before proceeding down the halls. There, he waited in the shadows around a corner for his wife. A couple seconds later, he was joined by all of his male friends.

Harry chuckled for no apparent reason.

"What?" Neville asked.

"It's so funny that we are probably the most dangerous people on the entire planet, but a bunch of girls are making us nervous as hell." Harry replied.

Seamus shook his head. "Not me because I'm just doing this to SHUT YOU GUYS UP!"

"Keep telling yourself that." Blaise replied.

"He'll get it eventually." Anthony said to Blaise.

"Hopefully."

"Shh! Here they come!" Neville spoke.

The men turned to see the door to the Room of Requirement open and reveal their dates.

"Hello, milady." Harry said before walking up to his wife and taking her hand. He bowed his head and kissed her knuckles. "Perfection cannot even begin to describe the way you look tonight, Daphne."

"Blaise nudged his Irish friend. "Nice line." Seamus nodded.

Daphne blushed slightly. "You look dashing yourself, love."

Both statements the couple made were relatively true despite their hyperbolic tense. Daphne had her hair tied in a small braid that went down the length of her hair to the middle of her back but still had some of it loose and free. She wore a dark, emerald green dress with black trim in places like the fabric that made a belt at her waist. It had a knot on her right side with a part of the fabric drifting down slightly. The dress hugged her well in all of the right places, but the woman had made sure that it was by any means restricting. The dress extended down to slightly above her ankles and rose up to end a bit below where her chest met her neck but left more skin exposed up to the middle of her back despite the area being hidden by blonde hair. She also wore the necklace Harry had given her their first Christmas together and a pair of darker green, four-inch high heels.

Meanwhile, Harry had worn a black tuxedo but had replaced the white button-down with a dark, emerald green one to match his wife's dress. He allowed his own necklace and a golden watch to show, and Harry had actually put some hair gel in his hair to make it straight looking. Overall, he did look dashing, but Harry still had a tough look about him.

"Shall we be off?" Harry asked politely, sweeping his hand out dramatically.

Daphne smiled.

"I'll take that as a 'yes." Harry smiled as well before taking Daphne's arm in his own and proceeding down to the Entrance Hall to wait for the doors to the Great Hall to open in ten minutes time.

"You think we'll be able to play cards tonight? I still have a deck hidden away as well as some other things." Seamus said referring to the weapons each Assassin had hidden on their person. They might have been at a formal event, but they still remembered Harry and Daphne's first wedding attempt. Even though they possessed the storage rings, the presence of the daggers and pistols they had hidden provided a better reassurance and comfort than their rings.

Susan glared at her date for the evening. "Don't make me regret this more than I am right now."

"I can't believe you two still don't see it." Hannah shook her head.

"They will eventually." Neville comforted.

The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Over their heads everyone saw that an area of lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights - meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.

Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"

"We'll meet up with you guys later." Daphne said before she and Harry turned and walked into the Great Hall, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim other hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Cedric and Cho were close to Harry too; he looked away from them so he wouldn't have to talk to the Hufflepuff boy. Harry and Daphne then looked over at Krum who had brought a seventh year Hufflepuff that Harry and Daphne didn't know.

"Surprised you got a date, Krum." Harry teased.

"Shut up, Pig head."

"Cannon fodder."

Viktor growled.

"You have to come up with a counter for that or else I'm going to win every time." Harry whispered.

Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting.

The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

McGonagall smiled happily as the champions approached the top table. Karkaroff was very impassive, holding his mean look even now. Ludo Bagman, tonight in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr. Crouch, Harry noticed, was not there. Percy Weasley occupied the fifth seat at the table.

When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out the empty chair beside him, staring pointedly at Harry. Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy-blue dress robes.

"Just got promoted." The eldest Assassin-friendly Weasley whispered. "Now I'm Crouch's personal assistant, so I can get you guys more Ministry information."

"Nice job. Where is he anyways?" Harry whispered back.

"He's at home right now. Won't tell me why exactly, but he did tell me that he hasn't been well since the Quidditch World Cup." Percy replied.

"Okay. Thank you."

Percy nodded.

There was no food as yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them.

"Pulling out all of the stops, huh?" Harry asked Daphne with a grin.

"I guess so." Daphne smiled. "What are you having?"

"Lobster." Harry said firmly to his plate.

The teachers, students, Percy, and Ludo continued to converse with their neighbors and eat for some time before everyone's plates were clean.

When this happened, McGonagall stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.

The "Weird Sisters" now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. The lanterns on all of the other tables went out, and the champions and their partners stood up. The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune as Harry and Daphne, bringing up the end, stepped onto the brightly lit dance floor.

Harry and Daphne got lost in their own world as the two and the others started to revolve at the spot they were at, dancing as the others did. They were completely oblivious as the other students started dancing as well.

After a bit, though, Harry heard the final, quavering note from the bagpipe, much to the couple's disappointment. The Weird Sisters stopped playing, applause filled the hall once more, but Harry still held onto Daphne.

"Come on. Let's get off the floor. I don't really like wizard music." Daphne said as the Weird Sisters struck up a new, faster song.

"I know." Harry chuckled. "It doesn't have the same power behind it."

The two quickly walked off the dance floor and managed to find a few of their friends hanging out at two tables that they had brought together.

"Where's everybody else?" Harry asked as he sat down.

"Dancing." Blaise replied. "By the way, guess which couple are still dancing despite the rage they feel towards each other?" Blaise began intensifying his voice when he said rage and held onto it until he finished his sentence.

"Who?" Harry grinned, knowingly.

"Seamus and Susan." Blaise grinned as well.

"Told you." Neville said as he sat down.

Harry picked up his goblet and took a drink but found to his disappointment that this one also held the punch he had tasted at the head table. "Couldn't they get alcohol here at least?" Harry thought a moment. "I got it!" Harry then called a house-elf to him.

"What may I do for Lord Hogwarts this evening?" One asked as soon as it appeared. It was dressed in a suit.

"Could you get me and my friends some firewhiskey, whiskey, red wine, or even rum please?" Harry asked to his male friends' amusement.

A second later, the house-elf reappeared with enough goblets for each of the Assassins, even the ones on the dance floor. "Firewhiskey, milord, in instant-fill goblets.

"Thank you grandly. I appreciate this very much." Harry said.

"You are very welcome. "Will that be all, sir?" The elf asked.

Harry smiled and nodded. "I think that's it for all of tonight even." The house-elf bowed and popped away.

"I can't believe you did that." Padma said.

"I've had worse much more often." Harry said. "Sometimes undercover, you have to drink the gnarliest drinks imaginable. I remember one time I had an especially strong tequila…" Harry shuddered at the memory. "We could use that stuff to poison people. They'd probably die from their liver shutting down in a few hours if given enough."

Harry then took a sip from his goblet. "See, not so bad. Like I said before, all of us need a tolerance to it or else you could jeopardize an entire mission."

"What are you guys talking about?" Seamus asked as he sat down after pulling out one for Susan and ensuring she was properly seated.

"Settling debts on the bet on when you two would get together." Harry replied.

"Oh, shove off!" Seamus then took a goblet and took a deep drink. The dancing had really worn him out.

Harry and Daphne each grinned, knowingly.

As soon as Seamus finished his portion of drink and swallowed, his face brightened to neon red and smoke exited his ears, nostrils, and mouth.

"Whoa! What was that?" Seamus asked in shock as soon as the smoke stopped coming out.

"By the way, I should tell you that the goblets are filled with firewhiskey." Harry said seriously.

"Thanks for telling me now!" Seamus growled.

"It was more fun that way." Harry grinned.

"Fucking Brits." Seamus mumbled to himself.

After a bit of talking, the others returned and joined in with the table's conversation, but Daphne, Draco, Astoria, Neville, and Hannah all left a bit later.

"Lord Hogwarts, would you mind coming up and saying something? It is important that you, as the school's owner, say something to promote international relations." McGonagall interrupted.

"Of course, professor." Harry downed the rest of his drink in one swoop before standing up and following the woman up onto the stage. The Weird Sisters had exited a small while ago, and a curtain masked most of the dance floor. There was, though, a microphone on a stand at the front.

"Excuse me, everyone! Excuse me!" McGonagall spoke into the mike. Everyone looked up at her and Harry. "There you go." McGonagall then went into the crowd.

"Okay, so Professor McGonagall wishes for me to say something to all of you to mark this occasion. Well, I've never been one for wise words so, here it goes-" Harry, though, was interrupted by the entire hall falling into darkness. Unknown to everyone, Harry grinned, throwing off his bowtie.

Suddenly, the curtain fell quickly, revealing Daphne holding a bass guitar, Draco a rhythmic one, Hannah a keyboard, Neville behind a set of drums, and Astoria standing behind a microphone. Everyone else had a microphone as well. While none of them could actually sing or play the instruments in their hands, they had placed charms on themselves so that they could. Harry then summoned a hot rod red, electric guitar into his hands.

"Gunter glieben glauchen globen." Neville said from the back of the froup.

"All right. I got something to say." Everyone began playing/ "Yeah, it's better to burn out, yeah, than fade away! All right! Ow! Gonna start a fire! C'mon!" The beat changed, marking the end of the intro.

"Rise up! Gather round! Rock this place to the ground! Burn it up, let's go for broke! Watch the night go up in smoke! Rock on!" The others echoed backed. "Rock on!"

"Drive me crazier, no serenade, no fire brigade, just Pyromania! C'mon!"

"What do you want?" The others sang as Harry backed away from the mike for a second to tear open his tux and let it hang loosely on his body. Then he came back in. "What do you want?"

"I want rock'n'roll!" Draco answered. Harry grinned. "Yes I do."

"Long live rock'n'roll." Everyone sang.

"Oh let's go, let's strike a light; we're gonna blow like dynamite! I don't care if it takes all night, gonna set this town alight! C'mon!" Harry went solo.

"What do you want?" The others sang again "What do you want?" Harry repeated.

"I want rock'n'roll!" Daphne answered. Harry's grin widened as he flung off his outer tuxedo, showing off his watch, shirt, and necklace more. "All right!"

"Long live rock'n'roll." Everyone came together.

"Rock of ages, rock of ages, still rollin', keep a-rollin.' Rock of ages, rock of ages, still rollin', rock'n'rollin."

"We got the power," Neville began.

"Got the glory!" Hannah continued.

"Just say you need it," Draco said.

"and if you need it," Daphne sang.

"Say yeah!" Harry finished. Everyone, including the crowd yelled, "yeah" after the prompt.

"Heh heh heh heh." Harry chuckled devishly opening his shirt so he could breath easier.

"Now listen to me!" Harry began again. "I'm Burnin', Burnin', I got the fever. I know for sure, there ain't no cure. So feel it, don't fight it, just go with the flow. Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme one more for the road!" Harry screamed the last part, and Daphen gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What do you want?" The others sang again "What do you want?" Harry repeated.

"I want rock'n'roll!" Neville answered. "You betcha!" Harry pointed towards his Gryffindor friend.

"Long live rock'n'roll." Everyone came together.

Harry then opened up with his electric guitar, ripping out a guitar solo.

"Rock of ages, rock of ages, still rollin', keep a-rollin.' Rock of ages, rock of ages, still rollin', rock'n'rollin."

"We got the power," Neville began.

"Got the glory!" Hannah continued.

"Just say you need it," Draco said.

"and if you need it," Daphne sang.

"Say yeah! Say yeah!" Harry continued, Everyone, including the crowd yelled, "yeah" after each prompt.

"We're gonna burn this damn place down! Ooh, down to the ground!" Everyone then slowly let their instruments ring out their final notes.

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh." Harry said evilly.

"I hope everyone enjoyed that little bit of rock and roll because we're going to continue with it all night!" Harry shouted. "It might be old, but it still kicks ass!" The entire audience went into an uproar. The students did so encouragingly, and the teachers did it disapprovingly at the teen's language.

By the end of the night, the "band" played 'Kickstart My Heart' by Motley Cruë, 'Rock, 'Pour Some Sugar On Me,' 'Let's Get Rocked,' and 'Rock Rock (Till You Drop)' by Def Leppard. Harry's two personal favorites, though, were 'Smoking In the Boys' Room' also by Motley Cruë and 'Big Balls' by AC/DC. The former, Harry actually lit up a cigarette and puffed at intervals to the adults' disapprovement and had also enraged the teachers further with the second song, which had all of the students laughing, including the band. They, though, only smiled broadly due to them still having to play.

"Well, I'm sorry folks, but it seems that it's time that we call it a night. I'd love to continue, but we don't want our instruments breaking form overuse in one night! Thank you! You guys have been an absolutely brilliant bunch!" Harry said before stepping back and letting the curtain rise in front of him, blocking off the band.

"Shit, that was fun!" Draco grinned, reflecting the expression on the others' happy but exhausted expressions. All of them got very into the music, and the charms placed on them drained a lot of magic after a while.

"I think that is the best way to put, my friend. The best." Harry replied.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Neville said. "I think it'd be best to get to bed before the teachers reach us." Everyone nodded and popped their instruments and equipment away.

"No training tomorrow morning! Spread the word!" Harry said before he and Daphne apparated back to their suite while the other couples, excluding Draco and Astoria, exchanged their good-byes, all sadly at having to go but happy for the fantastic night.

**AN: There's Chapter 21. Hope everyone liked that last part and that it wasn't too random if at all, just wanted to give you guys a surprise, which there will be plenty more of (unless you can predict the future)! All of the songs I listed do not belong to me; they belong to their respective bands. 'Rock of Ages' is the name of the first song the Orderians played and was actually performed by Def Leppard, so they own it. I personally would suggest any of these songs to a person who just loves good ol' rock'n'roll. As always please leave a review. **_**Occidere Prima Vel Occidi.**_

Hall


	22. Fourth Year Pt 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, objects, words, or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's **_**Harry Potter**_** series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise now owned by Disney.**

**Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.**

'Mind Link Language'

"Regular Language"

"_Communication Through the Mind, Communicator, or Parseltongue/Draconian"_

'_Thought or Spell'_

_**The Grey Assassins**_

**Chapter 22**

"Any luck yet with that blasted thing?" Blaise asked as he rejoined the others back in their meeting room in the Chamber of Secrets. He had just gone to grab himself a cup of coffee. Harry had managed to turn him.

"No, and it's fucking pissing me off to no end." Seamus replied.

All of the British Assassins were spending the day trying to help Harry figure out the clue left inside the Golden Egg from the first task, an ear-piercing wail. It was currently two o'clock on a Saturday during

"Wait. Why don't we try to run it through the Assassins' mainframe scanner? Maybe it can decode this thing." Susan offered.

"Good idea. I'll go see if the computer can't solve this fucking thing." Harry said as he rose from his seat and grabbed the Golden Egg before walking out of the room and navigating the corridors.

After a minute of walking, Harry entered the Control Room and moved towards one of the computers in the room.

Setting it down on a circular pad more than large enough to cover the Egg's entire bottom, Harry turned back to a computer and began inputting commands. A case sprouted out from the perimeter of the pad to enclose all of the Golden Egg. Despite it being almost indestructible, the material was transparent, allowing Harry to view the Egg still.

"Computer, run all decoding functions. The message will be inside this case." Harry ordered as he flicked his hand, opening the Golden Egg. The case stopped the piercing screech from damaging Harry's ears.

"Running." The computer confirmed in a voice that sounded just like the ones inside the base-setup cases. For a few minutes, the Control Room was silent except for the whirring sound of the computer running many algorithms to figure out the Golden Egg's clue.

"Scan complete."

"Results?" Harry asked with a sigh. He really hated how the Grey Order's computers could be extremely repetitive.

"Message is not in a code. It is a song from the species commonly called Merpeople by Magical humans. It is not known if that is what they refer to themselves as." The computer replied.

"How would a human normally hear the song without a translator?" Harry asked, curious at how the other champions might figure out the clue.

"Merpeople songs are easily heard by humans underwater. Their voices are high and thin, creating a screeching noise above water and what has been described as beautiful below the water line. It is unknown who originally discovered this fact."

"Play the song." Harry commanded.

"Understood."

There was a second of static before the song started. The computer had actually completely translated the screeching noise to be what someone would hear underwater with the Golden Egg.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching, ponder this:_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour long you'll have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour- the prospect's black,_

Too late, it's gone, it wont come back."

There was static once more as the computer canceled the voiced-out translation.

"Print out the translation then delete it from your memory banks." Harry commanded.

The computer did not respond but a sheet of paper could be heard being printed.

"Print: complete. Translation: fully erased. Will that be all, sir?"

"Yes. I can do the rest from this terminal." Harry replied as he closed the Egg with another flick of his wrist and bent over the keyboard while inputting commands that opened and hid the case. Harry turned away from the computer and picked up the Golden Egg before also taking the piece of paper and exiting the Control Room. He had not even sat down the entire time.

"So what did you find?" Michael asked.

"The screech was what a Merperson's song sounds like above water." Harry then set down the Egg and the paper on the table. "That is what it is in English."

Everyone leaned forward to get a glimpse at the paper.

"It's a riddle, but a rather poor one at that if I heard it right when the computer spoke it." Harry added.

"Yeah. 'Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground?' Obviously referring to the Merpeople." Draco said.

"Then 'while you search, ponder this:' lets us know it is a riddle." Dean continued.

"The last part, though, is the trickiest. We know you'll have to retrieve something you love from the Merpeople within an hour or else risk losing it forever, but the real question is what will you lose and where can you get it back?" Tracey finished.

"Well, the Merpeople will take it, right?" Neville asked. Everyone nodded. "It'll of course be underwater and be somewhere on the grounds of Hogwarts because of the Triwizard Tournament, so what is the best-fitting match?"

"The Great Lake." Daphne answered.

"As for what they will take, I think I know what it'll be." Harry said. Everyone gave Harry an odd look. "What do I value most out of everything on this moving blue ball called Earth? Daphne."

"Yeah, yeah. We know. Scavenging for brownie points. Tell us your answer." Michael replied.

"You don't have a soul bond." Draco said. "The other one in the bond means more to you than even the death of everything good in the world. At least, it seems that way at times."

"You really don't think they would be foolish enough to try that? Even they should not be that stupid." Seamus asked.

"I don't know. I would hope not, but if they are, it will still not change how I must rescue her or any of you for that matter." Harry replied. Everyone looked at Harry incredulously.

"I know we are close, Harry, but…" Blaise trailed off before joining in everyone's laughter.

"Oh, bugger off! You guys know me better than anyone else alive. If anyone besides Daphne were to be taken, I would bet that one of you would be that person." Harry replied, shoving his teammate.

"All joking aside, I think Harry's right, so what do we do?" Neville asked.

"Well, I would believe that we will need to be careful not to punch in someone's face, revealing who we are even more." Draco replied. "With Harry kicking Dumbledore's arse, the Ministry must already be very wary of us and more particularly, you, Harry."

"Still, the second task is thirteen days away. They will probably capture one of you the morning of or the night before the Twenty-fourth, when the task takes place. For now, I just need to figure out how to breathe underwater." Harry said.

"I wonder…" Hermione trailed off before running off to what everyone guessed was one of the five libraries at Hogwarts, probably Salazar's first if she were going to multiple.

A few minutes later, she emerged from the shadows holding a worn book in her hands. Quickly, she sat in down and opened it to a page, pointing out the paragraph she wanted everyone to read.

"That is bloody brilliant, love." Justin commented.

"The only thing is… how will you pull it off without revealing anything else?" Padma asked.

"The Merpeople will definitely not reveal your secret as you own the castle and its grounds, consequentially owning the lake. You could easily ensure that they won't betray you." Hannah said to Harry.

"What about the spectators?" Seamus pointed out.

"Well, you will only need something simple to hold for when you are above water. Once you are in the water, everyone above will be oblivious." Astoria answered.

"Hmm. You could try a Bubble-Head charm?" Theodore offered.

Padma shook her head. "Too simple. I would bet that at least one other champion will use it if they figure it out as well."

"They will. Besides being ours, excluding Diggory of course, Krum and Delacour also have a very competitive headmaster or headmistress. I would bet that Maxime and Karkaroff have been doing everything they could to help their students. Those two are like that. Delacour and Krum, though, will probably stick with the simple things, so as not to arouse even a wick of suspicion. In France they are more about doing things with one quick, calculated blow. Previously, Bulgarian Assassins were known for doing the exact opposite, but their teachers have now made them much like the French. Don't get me wrong, every single member we have could obliterate the best troops an army could provide, but the French and Bulgarians are known for being careful nowadays with the Bulgarians being more secretive." Harry explained.

"That still doesn't provide a solution for you that is not the same as the others but is easy and cannot arouse any suspicion." Ernie said.

"What about the amphibious charm? It would still give away a secret, but I don't believe that it is a very big one to give up. Besides, Rowena did specify that she wished to share the spell with the world despite the fact that she never had time to do so before her death." Anthony offered.

"That'll work." Daphne nodded.

"Thank god that is finally settled." Seamus sighed.

"Cards?" Blaise asked.

In a flash, Seamus's deck was on the table.

"Oh, come on. It's almost time for supper. We probably should still show up for it." Susan replied.

"All right." Seamus grumbled as he slowly pulled the deck off the table before stowing it away.

Everyone stood up as Seamus did so and began walking out of the room and down the corridors of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Holy shite, Seamus." Anthony said.

"What?" Seamus focused more on his teammate.

"Susan has done the impossible: tamed the infamously wild Irishman named Seamus Finnegan." Anthony grinned.

"Shove off! I'm still as wild as I've always been if not wilder!" Seamus replied.

"Really?" Blaise asked. "After just three sentences, you put away your cards."

"I always put them away, begrudgingly I might add, when we don't have time for cards." Seamus defended.

"Keep telling yourself that." Anthony replied before everyone morphed into the shadows and reappeared, emerging from different alcoves in the Entrance Hall, unseen by any students or teachers.

As they entered, Harry had to restrain himself from blasting a good many people in the Great Hall.

Not many Gryffindors and no Slytherins were wearing them, but many in Ravenclaw and almost all in Hufflepuff were.

Displayed on people's chests were badges that had in luminous red letters, the words:

SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY-

THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!

As Harry and his friends went over to their respective tables, many of the students wearing the badges pressed them to make another message appear in glowing green letters.

POTTER STINKS!

Unfortunately for Hannah, Susan, Ernie, and Justin, their housemates, due to the four of them being the only Hufflepuffs not wearing the badges and not supporting Diggory, also continually harassed them. Nobody, though, dared to mess with the Assassins at the Gryffindor tables as they controlled almost the entire table. Slytherin held the same response but that was because the few not with Harry knew that there moment was nonexistent yet. The Ravenclaws, though, did so because they knew any arguments were futile with these stubborn students.

After a few minutes of hearing four of his troops being relentlessly insulted with no honor given to four of their own house, Harry heard enough. Silently, he rose from his seat, but Daphne held his arm, halting any further movements.

"I'm just going to talk to them." Harry assured, looking at all of the Assassins around him at the table. Each one said nothing, but their eyes held a fire that encouraged Harry but warned him to be cautious at the same time. They weren't just Gryffindors anymore.

Daphne accepted Harry's words and let go of his arm. Harry nodded to everyone before turning around and going over to the only table right beside the Gryffindor one.

Harry identified Cedric Diggory by the back of his head and walked up to stand behind and just to his left. Diggory's friends who sat across from him involuntarily opened their eyes wider in shock as Harry bent over so his mouth was right behind Diggory's left ear.

"I would advise you, Diggory," Harry spat the teen's surname as if it held venom, "to get your housemates to stop harassing my friends, now." Harry said loudly, so the entire table could hear. All eyes in the Great Hall focused on Harry, most with hatred and resentment.

"They are doing it on their own, Potty, so I would keep your mouth shut." Cedric retorted. "Besides, you have most of the school against you. You can't win."

"Do you really want to challenge me, the one who kicked the shite out of Dumbledore and who passed through the first task without a scratch? If you are sure, who am I to deny you?" Harry asked, hoping that Diggory would be stupid enough to accept his casual but bold challenge.

"Just because you are in the lead right now, does not mean I won't beat you at the end of this. You are just a spoiled brat that expects everything that he gets." Cedric insulted.

Harry lost his nerve and shoved the right side of Diggory's face down into his plate of food, which conveniently for Harry only had a small pile of mashed potatoes on it.

"Now listen here, Diggory, and I mean it or else I will fuck up that overvalued face of yours for a good month at least." Harry growled, joined by one from Rex and Umbra as well as a particularly outraged hiss from Zeus. "You will stop degrading me without actually having a conversation to my face, leave my friends out of it, and get rid of those bloody badges or I will damage your arse-ugly face so horribly, not a soul will initially recognize you after you are released from St. Mungo's a week after."

Harry pushed Diggory's face further into his plate, hurting the teen even further. "Got it?"

"I'll get it done as soon as I can!" Cedric whimpered, his tough facade completely gone.

"Good." Harry said, backing away from the table. He looked at the four who were being harassed and jerked his head towards the Gryffindor table. They nodded and went over to it.

Harry looked all around the Great Hall to see if anyone objected to his words, especially the professors, but nobody spoke a word. Satisfied with this, Harry sat back down at his seat the Gryffindor table.

"Thank you." Ernie said earnestly as the Hall grew noisier again as everyone resumed their previous conversations or talked about what had just transpired.

"You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me. We stick to a strong code of honor, and it is shameful when others don't have the decency to just degrade someone just because of a difference of opinion, especially with any of us." Harry replied but spoke to all of his friends around him. "You would do the same for me; it's part of who we are."

Everyone nodded before switching to a happier conversation.

The next day, not a single Potter Stinks badge was seen around the castle and its grounds, and not a single person mentioned the event that occurred at supper the previous night.

Thirteen days after Harry put Diggory in his place, the Assassins emerged from their changing rooms, having just completed their rigorous exercises for the day.

As Daphne emerged, though, she received a message on her gauntlet.

"Hey, dad."

"_Hello, Daphne. I need you to meet me inside my office immediately. I need to talk with you privately." _Severus replied.

"_Be right over." _Daphne ended the communiqué.

"Severus is going to take me." Daphne informed her friends, who nodded in return.

"Don't worry, I'll be quick." Harry assured, holding his wife's hands in his.

Daphne nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning to go into the shadows, breaking Harry's grip at the same time.

"I love you." Harry said.

Daphne gave Harry a small smile and blew him a kiss before melting in with the shadows.

"Let's go. You only have two and a half hours before you have to be at the lake." Neville put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

The leader of the Grey Assassins nodded and melted into the shadows; his friends close behind. While Harry could be in action for days without food and be absolutely fine, he still preferred to have three meals a day when he could. While having a strong body allowed Harry and the other Assassins to do more, it did require many calories to be kept in pique condition.

Two hours later, Harry and his friends proceeded out of the Great Hall and to the Great Lake. On their way there, however, Ronald decided to be a pest once more.

"Don't get stuck in the water, Potty!" Ronald shouted at them from the right inside of the courtyard.

"Shut it, troll for brains!" Seamus yelled back while giving the blind boy the bird; Blaise and Anthony accompanied him.

Ronald tried creating a retort but fumbled with his words.

"See? I told you." Seamus said to the other Assassins.

After that, they encountered no trouble.

Everyone wished Harry good luck before they went to the seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November, now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were packed to the bursting point and reflecting in the lake below. The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water as Harry walked around the other side of the lake toward the judges, who were sitting at another gold-draped table at the water's edge. Surprisingly, all of the other champions had arrived. Cedric, Fleur, and Krum were beside the judges' table, watching Harry casually walk toward them.

When Harry arrived, he simply turned out toward the water and removed his flip-flops, now ready for the task to start. He was wearing Billabong board shorts and a short-sleeve rash guard. Harry had two dragonhide holsters strapped to his forearms. Both of his wands were secured tightly in them.

After a few minutes, Ludo Bagman began moving among the champions, spacing them along the bank at intervals of ten feet. Harry was on the very end of the line, next to Krum, who was wearing swimming trunks and was holding his wand ready.

"All right. Harry?" Bagman whispered as he moved Harry a few feet farther away from Krum. "Know what you're going to do?"

"Yeah. Thank you for asking." Harry whispered back without moving his lips much.

"Don't tell anyone else this, but… if I could bet on this, I would put all of my money on you. You are doing better than anyone could have imagined." Another whisper. Harry decided that he liked this Ministry member above most.

Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze and returned to the judges' table; he pointed his wand at his throat, said, _'Sonorus!'_ and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One… two… three!"

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing, Harry drew with his right hand his left wand, pointed it at his neck, and shouted, _'Ut amphibium!'_

A sickly green spell traveled a short distance in the air before impacting the side of Harry's neck, surrounding the body structure but also racing down to his feet and hands. Harry quickly refitted his wand in its holster while both sides of Harry's neck began to painlessly change, replacing skin with gills. Harry's feet and hands also grew webs between the toes and fingers, respectfully. After a second, the transformation was complete, and Harry dived straight down into the water.

The audience looked on in amazement as Harry performed a piece of magic never observed by any person excluding Rowena Ravenclaw, its creator.

Taking quick stock of his surroundings, Harry distanced himself from the other champions, continuing to travel straight down into the water, not noticing or caring about the icy chill present in the water. As soon as he reached the even darker bottom by the shore, Harry transformed once more; this time, though, he didn't use a single spell.

The book Hermione had set down on the table thirteen days earlier had been in Salazar's private library and was titled: _Everything a Parselmouth Should Know About Basilisks_. It was actually created by Salazar himself and was in old English instead of the language of snakes as the book was only of value to Parselmouths as they were the only ones able to control the mighty creatures.

The paragraph Hermione had pointed in modern English read:

While many believe that basilisks are only land creatures, it is possible for them to take to the water as well. While they are not as effective as their sea serpent brethren who evolved to mainly survive in the lakes, bays, oceans, and seas all across our world, basilisks still possess working gills underneath particularly sturdy parts of their thick hide. Basilisks, however, do not possess fins that help their sea-born brethren travel faster underneath the surface of a body of water. Overall, I ascertain that basilisks will remain on the land that they conquer so well, but in times of low resources, such as food, they will take to the sea and compete with the other serpents in a losing fight. The species would still probably survive, as I believe that they have done so before. I would hypothesize that relatively quickly, basilisks abandoned the sea and spread to another landmass, where they quickly conquered most former kings of the land. This process could have repeated many a time. I personally think that, while extremely poor in a move as a species, basilisks could demonstrate their title as king of the serpents on sea creatures as long as their sea-born brothers and sisters are not involved.

Harry proved Salazar's final statement as he quickly crossed through the depths of the water easily seeing and hearing underwater even in the foggy murk of a landscape. Harry led with his head with his body trailing behind him. While Harry was going in a forward direction, he had to keep moving from the left to the right and vice versa to achieve this. Thankfully, Harry quickly learned that he could keep his glowing yellow eyes focused on where he wanted to go while moving his head. He also learned that he could change the direction he wanted to go by slight changes in how far he moved his head.

Harry constantly searched the water around him, searching for any threats, including the other champions. While he knew that Fleur and Viktor would never fight him unless in a duel, he did not know if they or Cedric would attack him as a basilisk. Thankfully, though, Harry never encountered any of the three of them but did see the Giant Squid, who thankfully remained resting on its rock outcropping. It did, though, watch the basilisk very carefully to ensure that it meant it no harm. Besides this, Harry didn't need to search for any clues as to where his wife was being held. He could sense through his bond with her where she was, and he knew that if he could trust one thing, it was the bond.

Harry kept speeding forward, propelling himself faster each second until at long last he was given a clue that his bond with Daphne was correct. He saw alarge rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of Merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid.

Harry pushed on and was rewarded once more. A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Harry saw the faces of Merpeople, and he saw other Merpeople beginning to swim toward Harry with their spears armed.

Harry mentally sighed before quickly reverting to his human form. All throughout the change, Harry kept moving forward due to the amount of momentum he had picked up. Even after the transformation, Harry kept drifting but in a continually slower speed. Thankfully, though, the Merpeople had backed off.

Harry, deciding that returning to his basilisk form would be just a hindrance, pressed forward; his amphibious spell was still holding up.

Harry sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet Grindylow tied to a stake outside one door. Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching him eagerly, pointing at his webbed hands and gills, and talking behind their hands to one another. Harry sped around a corner and a very strange sight met his eyes.

A whole crowd of Merpeople was floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of Merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic Merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone Merperson.

Daphne was tied between Cho Chang and the girl Harry had seen Viktor take to the Yule Ball with Daphne on the left-center side of the group, Cho Chang at the very left, and the Hufflepuff seventh year, and who Harry recognized as Gabrielle Delacour, who Harry remembered from past visits to the Delacour home while on operations in their part of France.

All four of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths.

Harry looked around at the guards surrounding the statue and saw up to one. The Merman looked at Harry oddly as he took out something from the one pocket in his board shorts.

Harry pressed a button on it, and what would have been a screeching sound above the water emanated from the device, but underneath the water, it revealed who Harry was and how he needed the Merpeople of the Great Lake to keep his secrets. Finally, it asked the guards if they would keep his secrets.

The guards exchanged looks between one another. Finally, Harry received an answer from a Mermaid that wore a tiara as a crown. Harry assumed she was the Merchieftainess. Each generation had a Merchief and this one was obviously a maid.

"We will keep you secret, Lord Hogwarts. Your ancestors were kind to us when they first founded their school, so we will do so out of respect for them. I hope that this will open your mind to peaceful relations between us."

Harry nodded but also motioned with his right hand that he couldn't speak but did still mouth the words thank you.

The Merchieftainess nodded and allowed Harry to go over to the statue to retrieve Daphne.

Harry looked at the thick, strong weeds that tied Daphne to the statue and thought a moment. Harry then moved a line of water around his body to gain speed before easily slicing through his wife's restraints. He cut them perfectly, coming close to Daphne's clothes and skin but not enough to cut them or her. Harry turned and nodded towards the Merpeople before quickly propelling Daphne and him up to the surface above.

A minute later, Harry's head broke through the surface of the water, followed closely by Daphne, who awakened as soon as her head was above water.

Automatically she gasped for air before seeing Harry and giving him a heated kiss for five seconds. She would have gone sooner, but people were watching.

"I told you I'd be quick." Harry smiled.

"Arsehole." Daphne smiled back.

The crowd in the stands was making a great deal of noise; shouting and screaming, they all seemed to be on their feet.

"They really love a good show, don't they?" Harry asked.

"Honey, gills." Daphne pointed out.

"Thank you." Harry said before silently and wandlessly canceling the spell, returning himself to normal.

"Let's get out of here." Daphne said before the two quickly began swimming over to the shore where the judges stood watching, twenty Merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honor, singing their horrible screechy songs. Nobody else had arrived yet unsurprisingly, but Madam Pomfrey was waiting with plenty of blankets for the champions and their hostages.

Finally, the couple was able to stand on sand and walk over to the bank.

Madam Pomfrey rushed forward and quickly wrapped a blanket around both of them as soon as they arrived on the bank. She quickly looked over Harry for injuries and was unsurprised to find not a single scratch was present.

"How are you the only one to so far not receive a single scratch?" Pomfrey shook her head before walking away to wait for the other champions.

"Impressive, Lord Hogwarts. You managed to emerge first. How did you learn that spell?" Bagman asked excitedly.

"Rowena meant to share a few spells with the world. When I found her secret chamber, I also found them and have been learning ever since. I am glad it helped me through this task." Harry replied.

Bagman nodded. "Well, it was a jolly good show, seeing you transform with a piece of magic no one has seen before!"

Harry thanked Bagman for his congratulations and excused himself by saying that he wished to talk with his wife. They did not speak a word to each and enjoyed the other's company.

A few minutes later, Viktor emerged with the Hufflepuff, followed closely by Fleur with Gabrielle.

Harry noted that Viktor transfigured half of his body into that of a shark's and Fleur used the Bubblehead Charm. After another few minutes, a bell began violently ringing as Cedric rose to the surface of the lake, breathing heavily. He was nowhere close to where he should have if rescued Cho, and Harry noted that he did not in fact have her and was unconscious.

'_Fuck me. Now I have to save them.' _Harry thought with a sigh before discarding his blanket and summoning Rex. Quickly he climbed onto his back, not paying anybody's words any mind. Daphne just stood on the bank and nodded.

Rex then compressed his legs and jumped into the air, flying over to where Cedric was.

"_Get the pest." _Harry told his dragon, who merely dived and picked up Cedric between his claws while beginning to rise up once more and fly over to where Cho should have emerged.

"_I'll be back. Dump Diggory and then come back for me. I'd rather not swim back again." _Harry said before he jumped off the dragon's back and dived down into the water, heading straight down.

Rex snorted in annoyance at having to haul the one who had insulted his familiar repeatedly before he flew back to the bank.

Meanwhile, the spectators and judges watched in awe as Harry and Rex automatically went to save two who they didn't need to.

Harry quickly popped back up to the surface with Cho in tow a few seconds after Rex and arrived back on the bank.

"Oh, Cedric (Edward)!" **(Ha! Bet I made you laugh) **Cho said with her eyes closed as she went to kiss Harry, who tried his damnedest to get away from the Ravenclaw's lips.

"Not quite, and I would really like you to let go of me now as does my wife, I am sure." Harry replied.

Cho's eyes bolted open and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Rex then stooped down and picked them both up inside his claws.

'Thank you, Rex. Perfect timing. I'll make sure to find you an especially good meal to eat.' Harry said gratefully.

'Perhaps that Diggory boy?' Rex asked hopefully.

'Sorry. I can't feed him you unfortunately. How about a sheep?' Harry offered.

'All right.' Rex replied. Before carefully letting Harry out of his claws while dumping Cho, showing his dislike for the girl who would stand with someone against his rider.

"You know you didn't have to rescue either of them, Lord Hogwarts. We had protections set up so as to ensure the safety of them both." Percy said snobbishly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I still sped up the process either way."

"Yes, well, I think McGonagall will have some info for the scores soon." Bagman interjected, pointing towards the Scottish witch who had her head under the water, talking with the Merchieftainess Harry had met inside her village. Every thirty seconds, she would bring her head out of the water, gasping for air before plunging her head in again. After four times of doing this, McGonagall stood up and used her wand to dry her hair as she walked over to the other judges. "Excuse me for a moment." Bagman said before leading Percy over to the other judges.

Cedric had finally been revived and was shuddering underneath his blanket. He didn't dare look anyone in the eye, especially Harry. Cho couldn't look at the founders' heir as well.

Ludo Bagman's voice suddenly boomed out across the Lake and stands, causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows…

"Fleur Delacour, who demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was the third to return her hostage. We award her forty-three points as she did perform a piece of magic that is quite simple."

Applause resounded from the stands around where most of the Beauxbaton students were.

"Cedric Diggory, though he also demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by Grindylows as he approached his goal, and failed to retrieve his hostage. We award him twenty-five points."

Almost all of the Hufflepuffs in the stands sunk their heads in despair, excluding four. Even Cedric joined them, bowing his head in shame along with Cho Chang.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty-seven points."

Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.

"Harry Potter used a previously unknown charm called the…?" Bagman looked at Harry for an explanation.

"The Amphibious Spell." Harry said quickly.

"He used the Amphibious Spell to great effect," Bagman continued, "and returned first and well inside the time limit, nearly half of an hour. On top of this, he also quickly rescued one of his competitors and his hostage. Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. For this, we award him forty-nine points."

All of Harry's friends that could admit that they were so were in a fantastic uproar, shouting congratulations all at once. Unfortunately, this only bent and twisted their congratulations into an incoherent roar of joy.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

As Harry and his friends walked back up along the path to the castle, Harry looked at Hermione. "If you want a thousand galleons, you will have it. That was a bloody brilliant idea!"

"No worries. You would do the same for any of us." Hermione replied with a smile.

"So how well did it work? How was it?" Draco asked.

"It worked surprisingly well. I can see what 'Rowena' meant by having its disadvantages compared to other 'transfiguration spell,' but it was still great." Harry replied, still hiding what had actually transpired in the Lake to unwanted ears.

"I think this calls for a celebration!" Ernie shouted, getting a cheer from everyone.

"You know where to go and when." Harry replied with a smile.

That night, it could be said that the British Assassins of the New Grey Order indulged a little too much in their consumption of alcoholic beverages, but all of them knew that they just got so drunk they might have ruined their livers for life in one sitting if not for the advantages of having the Grey Order behind them. It had long since developed spells to prevent such a thing from happening ever in one's lifetime.

The next afternoon, when they woke up, however, they felt the reason why the Order had invented the spells. While they did stop one's liver from degrading, it still punished the over-drinker by not excluding the hangover the next day. It was a way to keep Orderians from getting drunk too often.

"Harry, we have a problem." Severus said the next afternoon as he entered the meeting room inside the Chamber of Secrets. That was when he noticed all of them laying down in random places, fast asleep with bottles clattered in stacks in several places, but most of the floor was covered. "Celebrating I see."

"Ugh. I would say never again, but that was too much fun." Seamus groaned.

"I'm with you." Blaise said before he realized where he was. "Ah! Fuck!" Quickly, Blaise scrambled away from Seamus's crotch, horrified. His Irish friend did the same except he was horrified at where Blaise's face was.

"Where are Harry and Daphne?" Severus asked nobody in particular. The two were nowhere in sight.

"Under here, now will you stop talking? We are trying to sleep!" Daphne replied.

The few awake Assassins looked around wildly, unable to discern as to where the voice had come from.

"Where under here?" Anthony asked dumbly.

"Table… I think." Harry replied.

"Lemme check." Seamus said, crawling over to the table, but a chair blocked his view. After he figured out how to move it, Seamus scrambled away, again horrified. "Yep. They're under there all right and naked… at least Harry is." The teen shuddered.

"Oh, yeah. I didn't realize." Harry replied.

"Wait, if we are both under here, naked, then did we…?" Daphne asked.

"What's wrong? I thought newly married couples did it all the time?" Justin managed to ask, fumbling with his words, though.

"Yes, we do, but did we use a contraceptive charm, and did you-" Daphne began.

"All right! I don't want to hear it! You're all too bloody loud!" Draco shouted, waking up a few others.

"Don't worry, Daph. Remember how you make sure to do the spell every night just to make sure we don't have a baby yet?" Harry asked.

"Okay, now that that is settled, can you put on some clothes before you continue talking?" Anthony asked.

"Okay, okay." Harry replied. "Where are my pants?"

"Ugh, I think over here." Neville answered, waking up on top of the table. The garment was beside him, so Neville flung it underneath the table. "There you go."

"Thanks."

Severus shook his head before removing something from his belt. He went into the hall outside before turning and throwing the flash-bang inside, quickly closing the door as soon as it passed through the doorway. Severus heard a large amount of cursing inside.

"Everyone awake?" He asked as he reopened the door.

"Yes! Thanks to that bloody flash-bang!" Michael replied.

"I think you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me." Severus said, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Get yourselves together and meet me in the Control Room in fifteen minutes." The man then turned and walked out of the room.

"Harry, don't take this personally, but your dad's an arsehole." Draco said.

"No worries. I'm growing not so fond of him myself." Harry replied.

Despite these remarks, all of the hungover Assassins cleaned themselves off as best as they could and were inside the Control Room ten minutes later.

"What do you have for us?" Harry said before groaning as he sat in his chair.

"Someone has been raiding my private store, and I have an idea who it might be." Severus replied.

"Wait, what is being stolen?" Daphne asked.

"Boomslang skin. Harry, you should know what it is mainly used for as you have your potions' mastery test this summer." Severus replied.

"It's the one of the key ingredients in a Polyjuice Potion. It could be used for a number of other things, but Polyjuice would be the most likely." Harry replied casually. He had most potion information stored readily in his head.

"A student?" Justin asked.

"Doing what? It isn't like anyone but seventh years, taking N.E.W.T.s need to know it… unless they're up to trouble." Michael replied.

"No, the only younger years than that are capable of brewing the potion are here, and a seventh year could just keep slowly removing different ingredients, unnoticed by anyone. I also doubt it is anyone from Beauxbatons or Durmstrang." Daphne revised.

"So, it is an adult, probably new to this school, so that eliminates almost all of the Hogwarts staff, excluding Moody." Padma developed.

"That leaves Crouch, Bagman, Maxime, Karkaroff, and Moody." Draco figured out.

"Not Bagman or Crouch. The former is too busy with the tournament and is also too much of a rule follower while the latter has been absent most of the year." Neville eliminated.

"And, I doubt that Maxime would need to, she would probably buy it. Moody was a trained auror, so my guess is Karkaroff." Hannah said.

"Close, but I fear that it is not Karkaroff." Severus said, gaining many odd looks.

"The who is it? We have eliminated everyone." Ernie asked.

"I wouldn't be so quick to pass on Moody. While he was an auror for the Ministry for a long time and was good, there are a few things odd about him this year. One: his flask. Despite his paranoia, he never has, indicating a new need to drink whatever is in there, and it is probably not pumpkin juice. Two: he has been acting slightly differently, and lastly, there was a break-in at his home before school started." Severus replied.

"That could be Polyjuice Potion in his flask, meaning the teacher at Hogwarts is not the real Moody. He's a spy." Harry finalized.

"Yes. A new force is at work here at Hogwarts and the worst part is this." Severus rolled up his left sleeve and turned his arm over to show a filling tattoo. "The Dark Mark is refilling. This means that Voldemort is growing stronger. There is no other way that it would refill. My guess is that he has found a way after I destroyed Quirrel's body."

While Severus was first an Assassin, he had kept his mark in case this kind of situation came true. Thanks to the initial Assassin ritual, though, it did not give pain to call upon the wearer of the mark. It was more of a weak sign.

"Fake Moody is probably involved, then." Daphne said.

"It looks like we will have to face not only the Ministry soon." Harry prophesized.

"Whatever Moody is here for is happening this year. He told us that he'd only be here a year." Hermione informed.

"What's our move, Harry?" Anthony asked.

"We leave Moody be. Whatever his plan is, it will probably involve getting me to Voldemort. He wouldn't dare take his lord's kill. Voldemort wants me too badly. Besides, he could have done it at any time this year." Harry replied. "Still, keep close tabs on him. I want to know all of his movements."

"I'll talk to Hogwarts and ask her to do that. She can alert us to his actions." Daphne said. As Lady Potter Peverell Hogwarts, she had full control of the castle and all magical states controlled by her husband. This further tied her in with Harry's magic as well as the manors' and castles,' further strengthening their wards, her magic, and Harry's magic.

"Who do you think it is?" Terry asked.

"It could be anyone. Not every Death Eater was found when Voldemort fell from power, but it probably isn't Pettigrew. The rat couldn't be a spy if he tried. He's too pathetic." Severus replied.

"All right. Now that that is partly resolved, is there anything else?" Harry asked.

"I don't believe so." Severus replied.

"Good. I'm waking up tomorrow." Harry said before disappearing into the shadows to get to his bed. The other Assassins liked the way he thought and went to their own beds.

"I'll let him get away with this just this once." Severus sighed.

The next day, Daphne did talk to Hogwarts, but in the coming months, she did not report anything odd about the man.

Other than that, the only interesting event to happen was on the twenty fourth of May.

Iris had held Harry back at the end of class to tell him to meet the champions on the Quidditch field for the final task, so at eight thirty that night Harry and Daphne traveled down to the Entrance Hall. AS they arrived, though, so did Cedric Diggory from the Hufflepuff Common Room.

The three walked down in silence; the couple ignoring the Hufflepuff out of despise, and the seventeen year old doing so out of shame.

They walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the field.

"What've they done to it?" Cedric said indignantly, stopping dead.

The Quidditch field was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction.

"The Third Task." Harry replied.

"Hello there!" called a cheery voice.

Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field with Krum and Fleur. Harry, Daphne, and Cedric made their way toward them, climbing over the hedges.

"Well, what d'you think?" said Bagman happily as the three climbed over the last hedge. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. Don't worry," he added, grinning, spotting the less-than-happy expression on Cedric's face, "you'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"

Harry and Daphne had already been analyzing the field as they walked up.

"A maze." Harry replied.

"That's right!" said Bagman. "A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."

"We seemply 'ave to get through the maze?" said Fleur.

"There will be obstacles," said Bagman happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures . . . then there will be spells that must be broken ... all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champion who is leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman grinned at Harry. "Then Mr. Krum will enter… then Miss Delacour, and finally Mr. Diggory. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"

All of the champions politely nodded, though the three Hogwarts students knew exactly what kind of creatures Hagrid liked to keep, so they knew that this task would be harder than first perceived.

"Very well… if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly…"

Bagman hurried alongside Harry and Daphne as they began to wend their way out of the growing maze. Harry had the feeling that Bagman was going to start offering to help him again, but just then, Krum tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Could I haff a vord?" He asked, letting his accent show.

"Yeah, all right," said Harry, slightly surprised.

"Vel you valk vith me?"

"Okay," said Harry curiously.

Bagman looked slightly perturbed.

"I'll wait for you. Harry, shall I?"

"No, it's okay, Mr. Bagman," said Harry, suppressing a smile, "I think I can find the castle on my own, thanks."

Harry and Krum left the stadium together while the others, including Daphne went back to their rooms, but Krum did not set a course for the Durmstrang ship. Instead, he walked toward the forest.

Harry remained silent as they passed Hagrid's cabin and the illuminated Beauxbatons carriage.

"Don't want to be overheard." Krum shortly explained.

When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground a short way from the Beauxbatons horses' paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face Harry.

"Robes told me about Moody. I haven't gotten a chance to reach you, and I think you should know that I've been still having Karkaroff watched. He's been acting very nervous. He was a Death Eater and has the Dark Mark. He must see how his is refilling as well. If he is to rejoin his old comrades, we will know." Viktor informed quickly.

"Good. Hopefully, we can delay or even stop Voldemort's rise to power before it begins, but if we can't, we sure as hell will ensure he won't be as powerful as before. Severus has told me stories of how they are, and I don't want to get in a three-way war this early on. The plan is to wait a few years after my troops graduate from Hogwarts until we take Magical Britain." Harry replied quickly as well.

"Why Britain besides it being your home country?" Viktor asked.

"It's the most fucked up out of them, and I don't like the idea of fighting the Ministry and another force so prematurely in our plans. If Voldemort is to rise, I am going to need everyone to step up in recruitment, all plans will have to speed up, and I'll need to ensure that all technology we thought we would have ready in a few years for this magical war is ready now. If Voldemort rises, things will get much more complicated, but we will still prevail. We have to. Spread the word to the rest of our troops. I'll notify my troops here, but I am counting on you to contact everyone else. Go to the Chamber of Secrets and use the Communication Post to send out an organization-wide message. I'll talk to you-" Harry stopped. There was movement far back in the trees.

Viktor saw the way Harry was focusing and quickly turned around to look as well, his wand in hand.

Suddenly a man staggered out from behind a tall oak. For a moment, Harry didn't recognize him… then he realized it was Mr. Crouch.

He looked as though he had been traveling for days. The knees of his robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; he was unshaven and gray with exhaustion. His neat hair and mustache were both in need of a wash and a trim. His strange appearance, however, was nothing to the way he was behaving. Muttering and gesticulating, Mr. Crouch appeared to be talking to someone that he alone could see.

"Crouch." Viktor said, putting away his wand. Harry did so too but kept himself aware to his surroundings in case of an ambush.

Harry nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then walked slowly toward Mr. Crouch, who did not look at him, but continued to talk to a nearby tree.

"… and when you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve…"

"Weatherby?" Viktor asked.

"Crouch can't get Percy's name right." Harry replied before turning back to the man. "Mr. Crouch, do you recognize who I am?"

"… and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing, now Karkaroff's made it a round dozen… do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will…"

Mr. Crouch's eyes were bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees.

"Shit it all. Viktor go get help!" Harry cursed before turning to Viktor while approaching Crouch.

"McGonagall!" gasped Mr. Crouch. He reached out and seized a handful of Harry's clothes, dragging him closer, though his eyes were staring over Harry's head. "I need… see… McGonagall!"

"Okay," said Harry, "if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-"

"I've done . . . stupid . . . thing . . ." Mr. Crouch breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. "Must… tell… McGonagall…"

"What do you have to tell her, sir?" Harry switched gears. "I'll tell her for you."

Mr. Crouch's eyes rolled forward onto Harry.

"Who… you?" he whispered.

"Harry Potter, a student at the school."

"You're not... his?" whispered Crouch, his mouth sagging.

"Who's?" Harry asked.

"McGonagall's?"

"That's right." Harry replied.

Crouch was pulling him closer; Harry tried to loosen Crouch's grip on his clothes, but it was too powerful.

"Warn…. McGonagall…"

"Yes, warn her about what?" Harry asked when Crouch didn't continue.

"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly, we are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge." Crouch was now talking fluently to a tree again, and seemed completely unaware that Harry was there, even releasing him. Harry, though, only backed up a slight bit.

"Yes, my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.S, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic, I think I will have time to draft a response…"

"Stay here, Viktor. I'll get McGonagall. I've been to the headmistress's office enough to get there quicker." Harry turned to the other Assassin.

"You want me to call the others?" Viktor asked.

"No, just stay with him." Harry said, starting to get up, but his movement seemed to trigger another abrupt change in Mr. Crouch, who seized him hard around the knees and pulled Harry back to the ground.

"Don't… leave… me!" he whispered, his eyes bulging again. "I… escaped… must warn… must tell… see McGonagall… my fault… all my fault… Bertha… dead… all my fault… my son… my fault… tell McGonagall… Harry Potter… the Dark Lord… stronger… Harry Potter…"

Harry quickly analyzed each fragment and figured a few things out. Crouch escaped probably Voldemort's captivity. Bertha, a missing Ministry official, was probably also captured and was killed. His son… Harry wasn't certain what happened to his son, though according to Crouch's file, he was already dead. Crouch also seemed to blame himself for their deaths. Voldemort it seemed also was growing stronger and was probably coming after Harry.

"He'll probably not give up any other information; he's too delirious. Stay with him while I go get McGonagall." Harry said before turning and apparating into the woman's office.

"Lord Hogwarts! What are you doing here?" McGonagall scolded loudly.

"Crouch has appeared in a delirious state by the Dark Forest. Come with me." Harry quickly addressed the issue at hand.

McGonagall took all of this information in and nodded before taking Harry's outstretched arm.

A second later, the two appeared back where Harry had left Viktor, but the Bulgarian was lying facedown on the ground.

Harry gave a silent prayer before he sent out a rejuvenation spell. Thankfully, Viktor groaned and rose to his feet.

"I can't believe you let yourself get stunned." Harry shook his head. "Where's Crouch?"

"I do not know. He was with me, continuing to talk with that tree when a stunner must have been shot at my back. I didn't hear anyone cast it, though." Viktor answered. "I was looking into the Forest to check for people, not thinking about anyone coming up behind me." Viktor sighed. "I didn't get a single look at the wizard or witch as well. My face was turned away."

"Fuck me." Harry muttered. "You have to always be aware of everything going on around you, Viktor. You should know being one of us."

"I apologize. I have no excuse, but it will not happen again." Viktor said genuinely.

"Good. I can't lose any of you." Harry replied. "Minerva, please get Moody out here as soon as you can and tell Hagrid to beware of intruders. I don't want anyone dying here." Harry gave out his orders.

'Umbra, get out here.' Harry told his familiar.

A second later the King Shadow Wolf leapt out of Harry's right palm.

'Harry?'

'Track Crouch down before it's too late, please.' Harry said.

Umbra nodded before sniffing around the tree the man had been talking to earlier and taking off through the trees.

"Viktor, while we are doing this, return to your ship. The transmission can wait until everyone is asleep for certain. Do not tell Karkaroff what happened. He'll claim that we have been planning a plot against his entire school. I'll make sure to keep this quiet as well." Harry said.

Viktor nodded. "Until the Third Task." He took off through the trees.

Meanwhile, McGonagall had sent out a Patronus to summon Moody and another to warn Hagrid.

'Harry, the trail has ended right by Hagrid's hut.' Umbra said.

"Wait here for Moody. If I am not back by the time Moody has arrived, go to Hagrid's. Keep to the shadows and always watch your back." Harry said before melding win with the shadows.

A few seconds later he rose up from the ground beside his wolf familiar, who was staring at a spot in front of him inside Hagrid's garden.

'Does it go anywhere else?' Harry asked.

'No. It's very faint but here.'

'Dig exactly where the scent is until you find something.' Harry said.

Umbra quickly began getting to work and was done after not even half of a minute of digging straight down.

'I found a bone.' Umbra said curiously.

"Hmm." Harry thought deeply. 'We'll wait for Minerva. If I am right, then she is the only one who can solve this riddle fully without raising any suspicion.'

Umbra nodded and sat down patiently.

A few minutes later McGonagall appeared followed closely by a limping Fake Moody.

"Hogwarts, what do you have there?" Moody asked.

"A bone. Umbra was able to only find this, and I doubt that this was all that was left." Harry replied. "Could you see if this is just a bone and not something else, professor? After all, you were the Transfiguration professor."

McGonagall nodded and took the bone in her left hand, raising her right one with her wand. She pointed her wand at the bone and silently cast a purple spell that quickly transformed the bone into Crouch's dead body.

Automatically, everyone excluding Moody recoiled.

"McGonagall, could you please arrange for Mr. Crouch, here, to be brought back to the DMLE so they can examine his body and give us back the results?" Harry asked. The woman nodded. "Professor Moody, please keep a look out for any threats and double your efforts in solving the mystery of who put my name in the Goblet of Fire. Whoever did that probably killed and buried Crouch as well."

Moody nodded. "I'll find him."

"I hope so. If we don't find him soon, he might kill again." Harry sighed. "I'll be off to bed, though, now. As soon as your business here is done, I would advise you to do the same. Good night." Umbra jumped into Harry's palm.

"Good night, milord." McGonagall said.

"Night." Moody grunted.

After that, the Assassins kept a much closer eye on Moody but were wise to keep their spying subtle and unnoticed. Viktor had sent out the message, and now the Assassins were starting to use their broad range of contacts to search for Voldemort. So far, their sweeps had revealed nothing but a few remaining followers. Even Moody had been innocent until the night before the Third Task.

According to Hogwarts, he had altered the Triwizard Cup to be a portkey to some unknown location. Harry and his friends listened to this but did not act on it. They figured that the Portkey was a way to bring Harry to Voldemort and his death. While it was a trap, Harry planned to walk into it so as to obtain Voldemort's location.

The next day, Harry woke up and trained extra hard, pushing his body further than he should have but was lucky enough not to tear a muscle, ligament, or nerve.

Once everyone finished and had showered, Harry made sure that his ring was fully stocked with ammunition and at least two of every weapon he had. Then they went up to breakfast, spending almost the entire time talking amongst each other about casual things normal teens their age would talk about.

"Harry, if you wish to, you can spend the day with the other champions and their families before the task tonight." Iris sighed.

"I don't have a family that can be seen in public with me that isn't busy right now." Harry replied, looking down sadly. Lupin wasn't allowed near Hogwarts due to being a werewolf, Sirius was an escaped felon, Severus and Iris had classes to manage, Anton was busy with the Wizengamot, and Daphne was not exempt from her exams like Harry. He was alone.

"All right. Good luck tonight." Iris said before kissing Daphne and Harry on the cheek and saying good-bye to her daughter and son-in-law before quickly hurrying over to her classroom.

A few minutes later, the Great Hall began emptying. Harry said goodbye to his friends and wished them luck, planning on staying at the Gryffindor table before maybe wandering the grounds. Harry noted, though, that Fleur, Viktor, and Cedric went into the side chamber.

Harry sighed and was starting to rise from his seat when Cedric popped his head outside the chamber door.

"Milord, your family is waiting for you."

"Okay." Harry said, slightly confused but still went into the chamber.

Cedric and his parents were just inside the door. Viktor Krum was over in a corner, conversing with his dark-haired mother and father in rapid Bulgarian. He had inherited his fathers hooked nose. On the other side of the room, Fleur was jabbering away in French to her mother. Fleur's little sister, Gabrielle, was holding her mother's hand. She waved at Harry, who waved back, grinning. Then he saw whom Harry recognized as Mrs. Weasley and Bill from several reports on the twins standing in front of the fireplace, beaming at him.

"Hello, my dear. You might not know us as you have never met us before but I am Fred and George's mother." The matriarch greeted.

"I know, and a meeting has never been arranged due to your treachery." Harry replied. Bill looked at his mother oddly.

"By heavens, I don't know what you mean, dear." Molly responded.

"Really? Were you not the one to set up a betrothal contract between your daughter, Ginerva, and me with the help of the man who stole thousands of galleons from me, Albus Dumbledore?" Harry grew angrier as he spoke. "I have already had him punished for his crimes, but you have remained untouched. Do not take my mercy as a weakness to exploit. I spared you out of respect and friendship with your twin sons. I was brutally battered for seven years of my life before I lived a better life on the streets, fighting to survive! If you think I will let you take advantage of me again, you vastly underestimate me, Mrs. Weasley."

Molly had gone ghostly pale, and Bill stood still in shock as well as the other occupants of the room.

Harry looked around and exited the chamber, heading over to the Great Lake to watch the waves wash up onto the shore. He hoped it would calm him down before he had to resort to hurtling catastrophic spells all around the Dark Forest.

After a few seconds of watching the water move when he first arrived, Harry sat down with his legs crossed on the grass, still facing the water but becoming one with the castle and its magic as well as the environment around him. This quickly calmed Harry down.

After a few minutes, though, Harry felt a presence close by him.

"What do you want, Mr. Weasley?"

"I… wanted to apologize for my mother's actions, Lord Hogwarts. I had no idea." Bill replied shocked at how Harry knew that he had approached him.

"Your apology is not necessary. Your brothers and I agreed to keep your family in the dark about my knowing of your mother's crimes as a service to all of you. I do not wish to separate a family. I am just getting one now." Harry said.

"Thank you, sir."

"I know you were not in on it, Bill. I have close relations with your bosses at Gringotts as both of us have helped each other since I discovered Dumbledore's treachery. I will see if I can put a good word in for them." Harry replied.

"Thank you again. Is there anything I can do to repay you for your kindness?" Bill asked, flabbergasted at the turn of events.

"Tell Fred and George that I mentioned the Grey Order to you. They will understand, but do not tell anyone else that I told you those two words." Harry said, trying to gain another ally.

"I promise I will not speak to anyone but them about it." Bill replied.

"Good. Now, if you wish to leave, you may."

"Good bye, Lord Hogwarts."

"Good bye, Bill."

Harry stayed on the shore for most of the day, soaking in the magic all around him while also going over all of the "light" spells he knew. It would probably be bad to show his knowledge of the "dark" arts.

Harry rejoined everyone in the Great Hall for the evening feast. He didn't need to explain where he'd been and why. Daphne knew.

Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge had joined the staff table now. Bagman looked quite cheerful, but Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting next to Madame Maxime, looked stern and was not talking. Madame Maxime was concentrating on her plate, and Harry thought her eyes looked red. Hagrid kept glancing along the table at her,

There were more courses than usual, but Harry didn't eat much as a full stomach could impede his performance. As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, McGonagall rose to his feet at the staff table, and silence fell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

Harry got up. All of his friends at Hogwarts, excluding those who had to pretend they were not, cheered loudly for their leader and friend. Harry noticed that Lupin was by the entrance to the Great Hall with Anton and a well-groomed, black dog that looked like the grim.

A wide smile automatically appeared on Harry's face at all of the applause and seeing his family. He lifted his arms in the air and the cheering rose to a deafening roar.

Harry bowed down low before joining Fleur, Viktor, and a rather angry Cedric and leaving with the group.

"I see you are confident." Bagman said as they went down the stone steps that led to the grounds.

"Yes, but mostly glad to see my family. Most of them couldn't be here most of the day due to work." Harry replied.

They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable.

A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.

Five minutes later, the stands had begun to fill; the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear.

Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor Sinistra, and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said Professor Flitwick to the champions. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"

The champions nodded.

"Off you go, then!" said Bagman brightly to the four patrollers. Each of them nodded and walked away in different directions.

Bagman magically amplified his voice again with a Sonorus.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! In first place, with ninety-six points Lord Harry Potter Peverell Hogwarts, of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with ninety points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "In third place – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!" All of the people from France cheered their champion. "Close behind in fourth place – Cedric Diggory!"

"So ... on my whistle, Harry!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"

He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry hurried forward into the maze.

"A fucking maze filled with fucking creatures. Whose fucking idea was this?" Harry muttered to himself as he navigated the maze, letting his instincts direct him.

Surprisingly to Harry, though, he didn't encounter any obstacles until halfway through the maze when he came up against a dementor of all things.

Harry quickly analyzed it and used the Riddikulus spell to make the Boggart a Halloween decoration.

Despite his luck with a lack of creatures, Harry did encounter many dead ends.

After a few minutes, Harry encountered his second creature, a sphinx.

"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me." The sphinx spoke.

"What is the riddle you have for me?" Harry asked, skipping the bullshit.

The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and recited:

"First think of the person who lives in disguise,

Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.

Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,

The middle of middle and end of the end?

And finally give me the sound often heard

During the search for a hard-to-find word.

Now string them together, and answer me this,

Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"

Harry thought a few moments before calmly answering the sphinx. "A spider. Spy is the first part, d is the middle, and er is the end of it. Put together, you get a spider."

The sphinx smiled broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and then moved aside for him to pass.

"Very astute of you. I see you really do descend from Rowena."

"Thank you." Harry said, bowing to the sphinx before running forward, further into the maze.

Finally, a hundred yards away from Harry, the Triwizard Cup rested in mid-air.

As Harry ran towards it, though, Cedric came up beside him and started to pull in front.

"Fuck, no!" Harry shouted as he went into a dead sprint, catching up.

Behind the two, a beast hurled out of the hedge to the left of Harry and Cedric. The two of them, though, were in such a competition for first, they beast missed them. One was racing to win fame and money as well as to beat the other while the other was racing so as not to let Cedric take his ticket to Voldemort… and he disliked the prejudiced teen.

Despite either's best efforts, though, they remained side by side, blazing down the path. While Harry was fitter and stronger than Cedric, Harry focused on building endurance while slowly building speed, and Cedric ran just to be faster. When they were both within a reasonable distance of the cup, both dived simultaneously as if synchronized to the same watch. Harry was able to propel himself farther than Cedric was able to, but that only had the two Hogwarts students grab onto the cup first.

The two felt a tug behind their navels, and their feet left the ground as a howl of wind took them both away.

Finally, the torrent ended and the two were flung away from the Triwizard Cup.

Harry looked around from his prone position on the ground, not moving a single muscle as he looked around for any opponents.

They were in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Harry could make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside.

Harry saw nothing around that was alive besides Cedric so he rose to his feet but quickly unsheathed his wands from their holsters on his belt and moved behind the Yew tree.

"Fuck, Diggory! You weren't supposed to be here!" Harry cursed quietly.

"What do you mean?" Cedric snapped. He had already stood and had been eying Harry oddly.

"Someone meant for me to grab that cup and bring me here so I could be killed. Now, get behind a grave and stay quiet!" Harry ordered.

"Yeah, right. Probably just another trick to…" Cedric drifted off, as someone appeared, walking between the graves. Harry saw that it was Pettigrew despite the rat wearing a hood thanks to his enhanced eyes, and his blood boiled. Harry, though, remained silent and still, so he also noticed that Pettigrew was carrying a fairly large bundle in his arms.

It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second, Cedric and the short figure simply looked at one another with Harry observing behind the tree, unseen.

"No! He was supposed to be here!" A distant voice said angrily. "Kill him. We will use the other."

A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry watched on as the blast of green light impacted the still Cedric Diggory, killing him instantly. A moment later, his back slammed down onto the ground.

'_Fucking bastards.' _Harry thought morosely. He was not supposed to die like this. He did not know what he was getting into, Harry did. Harry stopped thinking so sadly, though, after a second and turned his sadness to anger, which he used to fuel his mind and body.

Harry thought quickly what to do now with Cedric dead. Before Harry could plan anything, though, Pettigrew revealed another man, already stunned, by pulling him from behind a headstone.

Pettigrew dragged the man over to another headstone with the name of Tom Riddle planted on it, where tight ropes were conjured around him.

Pettigrew walked away but returned quickly with a large stone cauldron able to fit a fully-grown man. It was filled with a liquid of some sort. Harry noted that the thing inside the bundle was moving quit persistently.

Pettigrew meanwhile had started a fire underneath the cauldron and by now the surface of the liquid was alight with fiery sparks shooting out of it.

Finally, Pettigrew opened the bundle to reveal what looked much like an inferius, except it was child-sized, that it had red slits for eyes, and its face had no holes in it but was flat like a snake's. Harry figured that it was Voldemort. Pettigrew than picked up the Dark Lord and slowly lowered him into the cauldron.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" Pettigrew spoke as he raised his wand and a fine trickle of bone dust fell into the cauldron, turning the liquid a venomous blue.

"Flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master." Pettigrew withdraw a silver dagger and closed his eyes as he cut off his right hand, letting it drop into the cauldron.

After Peter finished screaming, he went over to the man.

"B-blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect your foe." Pettigrew used the same dagger to cut a deep gash into the man's chest, killing him. Using a vial, Peter moved a drop of his blood into the then red cauldron, turning the liquid white.

The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing happened until…

Suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything around the cauldron.

Then a dark figure began to rise from out of the cauldron.

Harry took this as his cue to leave.

Harry sheathed both of his wands before taking a deep breath.

Harry then rocketed a blinding white light over to the two figures, encasing both of them in light. Not waiting even a second to check his work, Harry ran to the Triwizard Cup, his hand hovering above a handle. Quickly, he summoned Cedric to him. As soon as Harry's hand was gripped firmly on the dead teen's arm, Harry grabbed onto the handle of the portkey.

The last thing he saw was an angry figure staring at Harry in shock.

A few seconds later, Harry and Cedric arrived back at Hogwarts, right in front of the spectators' stands.

Once everyone realized that one of the two of them were dead, the stands erupted into chaotic screams of terror.

Harry stood up quickly and gave a sad look at the teen before quickly looking around. A few seconds later, he found his target and started running towards him.

Harry pushed his palm forward and a spell rocketed out of it and sent the fake Moody reeling. He would have gotten up, but Harry had sent a stunner.

"He's an imposter!" Harry shouted.

Harry removed his right wand and cast a spell that would stop any potion from working. He had to know it so as to stop a trial potion if it had dire side effects.

Slowly, Moody features changed, his magical eye popping off his head as well as his fake leg on the growing stump.

After a few seconds, Harry saw a man he did not recognize.

"What is going on, Lord Potter, and why is that boy dead?" Fudge demanded as fiercely as he could.

"Do you think you frighten me, Fudge?" Harry growled loudly over the uproar in the stands. Everyone stopped screaming or the like and focused silently on him and Fudge just like Harry wanted.

"This man here has been posing as Alistair Moody all year so as to put me in a trap. The Triwizard Cup was a portkey that led Cedric and me to it. He wasn't supposed to come, is my guess, and so he was killed." Harry explained.

"By who?" Fudge asked.

"I, Harry James Potter Peverell Gryffindor Slytherin Ravenclaw Hufflepuff, do vow, upon my life and magic, that I am speaking the truth when I say, Voldemort has returned. So mote it be."

A bright flash of white, as magic accepted Harry's vow, left a living Harry Potter and a stunned crowd in near-impossible silence.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this. Sorry if this last part seemed rushed. I stayed up later so I could finish this, … which I will probably regret tomorrow. If it does need to be fixed, let me know and I'll edit it for flow. If you have certain thoughts about a section of this chapter the chapter itself, or the story overall, feel free to leave a review or ask me a question in a review. I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can if you have a question. _Occidere Prima Vel Occidi._**


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